Mapping Phubbing Research: A 10-Year Bibliometric Exploration (2014–2024)

Abstract

The antecedents and consequences of phubbing—ignoring others in favor of mobile phone use—have attracted a growing interest among researchers. Despite the increased attention, the field still lacks a cohesive framework to guide future research and practical interventions. To address this gap, this bibliometric review was aimed at mapping the knowledge structure of phubbing research. A total of 444 phubbing-related publications were retrieved from the Scopus database for analyses. The performance analysis highlighted key research constituents, including leading authors, journals, and institutions. Science mapping revealed three cocitation clusters and four coword clusters, shedding light on the theoretical foundations and themes in the literature. The findings underscore the need for further psychometric refinement, exploration of media use in familial contexts, and the conceptualization of phubbing as a process. This review provides insights into phubbing research and offers research directions for future studies.