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What the headline is referring to
The “brain chemistry” claim comes mainly from a peer-reviewed study by H. S. Seo and colleagues in the American Journal of Neuroradiology (2020). Researchers used magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), a specialized MRI technique, to estimate signals related to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate-glutamine (Glx) in the anterior cingulate cortex.
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GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, while Glx is an MRS signal representing glutamate and glutamine together. The study did not measure every chemical in the brain, and it did not test whether phones directly changed neurotransmitter production.
How the key study was designed
- Participants: 19 young people classified as having internet and smartphone addiction and 19 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.
- Average age: 15.47 years (standard deviation 3.06) in the comparison sample.
- Follow-up: 12 participants from the affected group completed nine weeks of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
- Measurement: MEGA-PRESS MRS in the anterior cingulate cortex.
The researchers adjusted GABA signals relative to creatine and accounted for brain-parenchymal and gray-matter measures. Those technical adjustments matter: the reported result concerns ratios from one measurement method and region, not a direct whole-brain chemical inventory.
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What the researchers found
Higher adjusted GABA ratios in the affected group
Compared with controls, the internet-and-smartphone-addiction group had higher adjusted GABA-to-creatine ratios. The paper reported P values of .028 and .016 for the two adjustment approaches. These figures indicate a statistically significant difference within this study; they are not prevalence estimates, effect sizes, or a measure of how much damage a phone caused.
No statistically significant Glx difference
Glx did not differ significantly between the affected and control groups. It also did not show a significant pre- to post-therapy change. Therefore, describing the result as a broad disruption of all “brain chemistry” overstates what was measured.
Ratios decreased after CBT
Among the 12 participants measured before and after nine weeks of CBT, adjusted GABA-to-creatine ratios decreased. The reported P values were .034 and .026 for the two adjustment approaches. The authors also reported relationships between GABA ratios and scores for addiction, depression and anxiety.
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The intervention was structured CBT, not a supplement, app, phone accessory or other consumer product. The findings do not establish that taking GABA, changing a single setting or buying a device can reproduce the result.
What this evidence can—and cannot—show
It shows an association in a narrowly defined sample
The study compared a small, selected group with matched controls at one point in time, then followed only 12 affected participants through therapy. Participants were classified using measures of combined internet and smartphone addiction. That category does not isolate time spent on a smartphone from online gaming, social media, other internet activity, sleep problems, mood symptoms or related behaviors.
It does not prove that smartphones caused the difference
A cross-sectional difference can have several explanations. The measured GABA ratio might be related to problematic behavior, co-occurring depression or anxiety, developmental factors or other differences between participants. Even the therapy finding does not prove that reducing smartphone exposure alone changed GABA: CBT addressed the broader condition.
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It does not show permanent damage
The study did not establish irreversible injury, a lasting chemical imbalance or a universal brain signature among heavy phone users. A change observed after nine weeks in a 12-person subset cannot be generalized to everyone who uses a smartphone frequently.
How related MRI studies fit the picture
Other papers point to possible neural correlates of problematic or excessive smartphone use, but they measured different outcomes and used different definitions.
| Study | Participants and design | What was measured | Main result | What it supports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seo et al., American Journal of Neuroradiology, 2020 | 19 affected participants and 19 controls; 12 received nine weeks of CBT | GABA-to-creatine ratios and Glx in the anterior cingulate cortex | Higher adjusted GABA ratios in the affected group; ratios decreased after CBT; Glx differences were not significant | An association involving a neurochemical MRS signal in a small combined internet/smartphone sample |
| Addictive Behaviors, 2020 | Participants classified as having smartphone addiction; comparison design | Gray-matter volume and resting-state activity | Reported lower gray-matter volume in the insula and temporal cortex and reduced resting-state activity in the anterior cingulate cortex | Possible structural and functional correlates, not a causal smartphone effect |
| MRI data-fusion study, 2022 | 20 affected participants and 24 controls | Network-strength measures | Lower medial/dorsolateral prefrontal network strength and higher strength in a parietal/cerebellar system | Differences in functional network organization in a small sample |
| Systematic review and meta-analysis | 11 eligible MRI studies | Structural and functional MRI outcomes | Associations between excessive smartphone use and several MRI measures | A limited, heterogeneous evidence base rather than a settled brain signature |
| Addictive Behaviors, March 2026 | 36 young adults: 19 classified as problematic smartphone users and 17 comparison participants; before and after 72-hour restriction | Intrinsic neural activity across several regions | Reported group-by-time differences and relationships between craving and activity | Short-term functional-activity changes; not the GABA concentration outcome from the 2020 study |
Why the 2026 restriction result is different
The March 2026 study measured intrinsic neural activity before and after 72 hours of smartphone restriction. That is a functional-activity outcome. It should not be described as evidence that a short break “repaired brain chemistry,” because it did not measure the GABA-to-creatine ratios used in the 2020 MRS study.
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How to interpret “smartphone addiction” terminology
Researchers use labels such as “internet and smartphone addiction,” “excessive smartphone use” and “problematic smartphone use.” Screening scales and diagnostic thresholds vary, and these terms are not interchangeable clinical diagnoses. A person who uses a phone heavily is not automatically in the same category as participants recruited for an addiction study.
What a responsible takeaway looks like
- The strongest direct finding is a higher adjusted GABA-to-creatine ratio in the anterior cingulate cortex of a small youth sample with combined internet and smartphone addiction.
- Glx did not show a statistically significant group difference.
- Ratios decreased after nine weeks of CBT in 12 participants, but that does not identify smartphone exposure as the cause.
- Related MRI work reports structural and functional associations, with small samples and varied definitions.
- No study cited here validates a supplement, gadget or consumer treatment for problematic smartphone use.
If phone use is interfering with sleep, school, work, relationships or mood, the evidence-based response is to discuss the pattern with a qualified health professional. The study’s treatment signal concerns a structured CBT program, not self-prescribing a product or trying to correct a presumed neurotransmitter imbalance.
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