Does putting your phone away help motion sickness?
By Dizzout Editorial·Evidence last checked 31 July 2026·How we review
Verdict: Probably
Yes — and it is the single easiest change most people can make. Looking at a screen holds your eyes on something stationary while your inner ear reports every corner, which is the exact conflict that makes you ill; the coach-travel data shows how much visual input matters.
What it's claimed to do
The most common advice a car-sick passenger gets, and the one they least want to hear. Both Apple and Samsung built dedicated phone features specifically because using a phone in a vehicle is such a reliable trigger.
- YesTested for motion sickness and it held up.
- Probablythis remedyReal trial support, but modest or from a single study.
- MixedTrials disagree — some found an effect, better-designed ones did not.
- UntestedNo one has tested this for motion sickness. It may still be sensible.
- NoTested for motion sickness and it did not beat a placebo.
Levels describe the state of the published research on motion sickness specifically — not on nausea in general, and not how well something worked for any individual. “Untested” means no trial has looked; it is not the same as a remedy having been tested and failed.
What the research actually says
No trial has randomised people to 'phone' versus 'no phone', so this verdict rests on the mechanism plus the closest field evidence there is. Turner and Griffin surveyed 3,256 coach passengers and found sickness in 34.6% of those with no view of the road ahead against 12.7% of those who could see it well — a threefold difference driven purely by what the eyes were given to look at. A phone is the extreme version of 'no view of the road': a stationary rectangle held close, filling your visual field, reporting no motion whatsoever. The strongest supporting argument is arguably commercial rather than academic. Apple shipped Vehicle Motion Cues in iOS 18 and Samsung shipped Motion Cues on the Galaxy S25 for exactly this problem — animated dots that put the vehicle's motion back into the screen. Two of the largest phone makers building a feature to counteract phone use in cars is a strong signal that phone use in cars is a real trigger. Kaufeld and colleagues also induced measurable sickness with nothing but a screen, which shows visual input alone is sufficient to cause it.
The studies, in full
Ergonomics 42(3):444-61 · PMID 10048305
Participants: 3,256 coach passengers over 56 journeys
Illness was reported by 34.6% of passengers with no view of the road ahead against 12.7% of those who could see it extremely well — about a threefold difference from visual input alone. A phone is the strongest available version of 'no forward view'.
Read the source →Experimental Brain Research 240(2):651-663 · PMID 34997261
Participants: 77 adults
Induced measurable motion sickness using a visual stimulus alone, confirming that what your eyes are given is sufficient to cause symptoms without any unusual vehicle motion.
Read the source →Safety & what to watch for
- Nobody has run the randomised trial. This is a strong mechanism plus good field evidence about visual input, not a direct result — we would rather say so.
- It is genuinely hard advice to follow on a long journey, which is why the phone features exist. If you are going to use the phone anyway, turning those on is better than nothing.
- Putting the phone away does not help if you then read a book instead. The problem is near-field focus, not the device.
- For a child who gets car sick, taking the tablet away without offering something else usually fails. Audio — music, an audiobook, a podcast — is the substitute that does not reintroduce the conflict.
If you want to try it
- Swap looking for listening. Audio needs nothing from your eyes, which is the entire point.
- If you must use the phone, turn on your device's built-in motion cues first and hold it high enough that the road is still in your peripheral vision.
- Deal with messages before you set off, or at stops, rather than in motion.
- On a winding section, put it away before you feel sick rather than after — every behavioural measure here works better as prevention than rescue.
Something with better evidence: Does looking at the horizon help motion sickness — verdict yes, and it costs nothing to try.
Looking for something drug-free?
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Frequently asked questions
Why does looking at my phone make me car sick?+
Because your eyes lock onto a screen that is not moving while your inner ear reports every acceleration, brake and corner. That disagreement between the two senses is what motion sickness is. The screen is the worst case because it is close, bright and fills much of your field of view, leaving no peripheral sense of the real motion.
Do the motion sickness dots mean I can use my phone in the car now?+
They reduce the conflict rather than removing it, and they only work while you are looking at the screen. They are a real improvement on nothing, but putting the phone down is still the more effective move.
Is reading a book better than a phone?+
Not really. The problem is holding your focus on something stationary and close, not the device itself. A book creates the same conflict.
Check another remedy
Sources
Explore more
When it isn't motion sickness. Severe or lasting dizziness, a spinning sensation at rest, hearing loss, ringing in one ear, double vision, a bad headache, chest pain, fainting, or vomiting you cannot stop are not motion sickness. Seek medical care rather than a travel remedy.
Dizzout is not a medical provider and nothing here is medical advice. These pages summarize published research so you can weigh it — they cannot account for your health, your medicines or your pregnancy. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before starting any supplement or medication, especially if you take other drugs, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are buying for a child. Evidence summaries reflect the published literature as of July 2026 and describe findings in groups of people, which cannot predict your individual response. Product and brand names are trademarks of their respective owners; Dizzout is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.