‘Text Lock’ May Be the Solution to Texting and Walking, Study Says

A stock photo shows a woman texting (Kikovic/iStock)

An Australian study has confirmed what most people have observed: that texting while walking increases a person’s chance of accidental falls—and that’s in crowded areas or into oncoming traffic.

According to a study in the journal Heliyon, researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) conducted an experiment with students and asked them to navigate hazards while their thumbs twiddled away on a phone.

Co-author of the study and neurologist, Matthew Brodie, said drastic ideas may be needed to reel in the habit.

“On any day, it seems as many as 80 percent of people, both younger and older, may be head down and texting. I wondered, is this safe? Is this the future we want to live in?” he told The Epoch Times in an email.

“What is it about texting and smartphone use that is hyper-addictive? Preferred to real-world, in-person interactions? Is this the new reality? If I lost my smartphone, would I then experience intense feelings of being alone and vulnerable, even if I were surrounded by other people at the beach?

A council-sponsored sign warning smartphone users to look up when walking in Burwood, Sydney on May 7, 2023. (Daniel Teng/The Epoch Times)

“This has made me want to investigate the dangers of texting while walking. I wanted to know if these dangers are real or imagined and to measure the risk in a repeatable way.”

The Experiment

The study, co-authored by Yoshiro Okubo, recruited 50 undergraduate students to walk along a tiled hazard walkway, with one tile that could slip out of place and cause a person to fall—akin to walking on a banana peel.

The participants wore a safety harness to prevent any slipping should they fall and sensors were used to collect their motion data. They were then asked to go along the walkway either without texting or while typing, “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog,” on their phone.

To better simulate the uncertainty of real life, the students were kept in the dark about the certainty of slipping on the course. This allowed the researchers to study how texting pedestrians might anticipate and try to prevent a potential slip, such as by leaning forward.

The perturbation walkway system with the 70 cm low friction slip hazard at tile five. (Photo courtesy of Heliyon)

“What surprised me is how differently people responded to the threat of slipping,” Mr. Brodie said.

“Some slowed down and took a more cautious approach. Others sped up in anticipation of slipping. Such different approaches reinforce how no two people are the same, and to better prevent accidents from texting while walking, multiple strategies may be needed.”

Data Shows Caution Does Not Reduce Risk of Falling

The motion data showed that texting participants who tried to compensate for a lack of balance did not reduce their risk of falling.

For example, some participants leant forwards, so their heads hovered over their phones, or they leant backwards.

However, this created other issues, including a wider range of movement with the upper torso or an increased “trunk angle.”

The “trunk angle” is the number of degrees a person (or the upper torso) sways forwards and backwards as they move; essentially, the larger the trunk range is, the more the centre of gravity (or postural balance) sways, and the higher the chance of falling due to higher instability.

Sensors attached at various parts of the body to measure angles of movement. (Photo courtesy of Heliyon)

Walking was also found to impact texting accuracy.

The best accuracy occurred when participants were seated; however, accuracy decreased even as walking participants displayed caution.

Needless to say, the lowest accuracy occurred when participants did slip.

The researchers noted that young people may be more likely to take risks even if they were aware that texting and walking could increase the likelihood of falling.

“From the paper, we can see how developmental neuroscience makes younger adults most at risk,” Mr. Brodie said.

“Texting, social media, and other apps are addictive and provide an immediate socioemotional reward.

“During adolescent brain development, the mismatch between the earlier development of the socioemotional network (sensitive to the stimuli and rewards of texting) and the later development of the cognitive control network (that regulates risky behaviour) means that these people will value the rewards over the risks (even when they know the risks), so education alone is not going to help.”

Researchers Suggest Phone Locking Technology

Mr. Brodie and Mr. Okubo said technology-based initiatives such as a “texting lock” while walking could discourage people from the practice.

At the same time, Mr. Brodie said street signs that discourage texting and walking may not work for young people.

“I don’t believe educational initiatives alone will work that well because people will engage in risky behaviour even when they know the risks because of the immediate and highly addictive socio-emotional rewards experienced through mobile phone use,” Mr. Brodie said.

“I suggest the manufacturers of the technology take responsibility for its safe use. I recommend for a motion lock that prevents texting and social media use involving phone screen use while walking. I am happy to be known as the ‘Grinch that stole texting.’”

Mr. Brodie added that he would be interested in conducting an interventional study to see if technology-based and educational initiatives could change texting while walking behaviour.

On the flip side, Mr. Brodie said he supports the use of mobile or cell phone technologies, especially when used for gait (walking) retraining for people with Parkinson’s Disease.

Mr. Brodie and his team have developed an app called “Walk Tall,” which delivers a rhythmic metronomic beat designed to trigger movement in people with Parkinson’s Disease.