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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →A small 2020 study found higher levels of a GABA-to-creatine measure in the brains of adolescents and young people classified as having both internet and smartphone addiction. The measure decreased after nine weeks of cognitive behavioral therapy in a small subset. The results point to a possible association—not proof that smartphone use alone causes lasting brain damage or a permanent chemical imbalance.
What the 2020 study measured
H. S. Seo and colleagues studied 19 young people classified as having internet and smartphone addiction and 19 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Participants in the comparison sample had a mean age of 15.47 years (standard deviation 3.06). Using MEGA-PRESS magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), the researchers measured gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate-glutamine (Glx) in the anterior cingulate cortex, a brain region involved in several cognitive and emotional processes. The peer-reviewed study in the American Journal of Neuroradiology reports the methods and findings.
MRS estimates chemical signals in a specific region; it is not a complete inventory of brain chemistry. The study reported adjusted GABA-to-creatine ratios, not a diagnosis or a direct measure of brain damage.
What the researchers found
The adjusted GABA-to-creatine ratios were higher in the affected group than in controls. The paper reported P values of .028 and .016 for two adjusted measures. These statistics indicate differences in this sample; they do not tell readers how large or clinically important the differences were, nor do they establish cause.
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Glx did not differ significantly between the groups. The authors also reported associations between GABA ratios and scores on addiction, depression, and anxiety scales. Those relationships do not show that one condition caused another.
What changed after therapy
Twelve teenagers from the affected group took part in a nine-week cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program. Their adjusted GABA-to-creatine ratios decreased after therapy; the paper reported P values of .034 and .026. The follow-up involved a small subset, and this result does not establish that CBT works by changing GABA or that the baseline differences were caused by phone use.
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The study tested a structured CBT program, not GABA supplements, an app, or another consumer product. It therefore does not support using supplements or gadgets as treatment.
What the headline leaves out
The researchers classified participants as having “internet and smartphone addiction.” That combined label does not isolate smartphone exposure from internet-related behavior or other factors, and the study’s findings should not be generalized to ordinary phone use. Researchers also use different definitions and screening scales for “internet and smartphone addiction,” “excessive smartphone use,” and “problematic smartphone use”; these terms are not interchangeable with a single established clinical diagnosis.
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- It does not prove causation. A group comparison can show that a measure differs between groups, but cannot establish that smartphone use produced the difference.
- It does not show permanence. The study does not establish that the observed differences persist or amount to lasting damage.
- It does not describe every heavy user. The results came from a small, selected youth sample, not a representative population.
How this fits with other brain-imaging studies
Other research has reported possible neural correlates of smartphone or excessive use, but it measures different things and does not turn the GABA result into a settled causal explanation.
| Study | What it measured and reported | What it can show |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 study in Addictive Behaviors (study page) | Reported lower gray matter volume in the insula and temporal cortex, and reduced resting-state activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, among participants classified as having smartphone addiction. | Associations in brain structure and activity; not the GABA measurement in Seo et al. or proof that smartphone use caused the differences. |
| 2022 MRI data-fusion study (study page) | Compared 20 affected participants with 24 controls and reported lower medial/dorsolateral prefrontal network strength alongside higher strength in a parietal/cerebellar system. | Differences in network measures in that sample, not a chemical finding or a causal signature. |
| Systematic review and meta-analysis (PubMed record) | Identified 11 eligible MRI studies and reported associations between excessive smartphone use and structural or functional measures. | A synthesis of a limited body of studies; it does not establish one definitive brain pattern or causation. |
| March 2026 study in Addictive Behaviors (study page) | Studied 36 young adults—19 classified as problematic smartphone users and 17 comparison participants—before and after 72 hours of restriction. It reported group-by-time differences in intrinsic neural activity across several regions and relationships between craving and activity. | Short-term functional activity findings, not evidence that restriction repaired GABA levels or brain chemistry. |
The 2020 authors concluded that high GABA levels and a disrupted GABA-to-Glx balance “may contribute” to understanding the condition and associated comorbidities. Their cautious wording matters: the study suggests a possible relationship in a particular sample, not a universal or proven effect of smartphone use.
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How to interpret the finding
The clearest reading is that researchers observed a neurochemical measure associated with a combined internet-and-smartphone-addiction classification in a small youth sample, and a decrease in that measure after CBT in a smaller follow-up group. The evidence does not show that using a smartphone by itself changes everyone’s brain chemistry. Related imaging findings add context, but differences in definitions, measurements, and study designs make a single causal conclusion premature.
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