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“Telephobia” is fear of talking on the phone, making a call, or listening to voicemail—and it’s not new.

Prevalent with Gen Z and millennials, telephobia affects boomers, too.

Telephobia is growing, but there are ways to take control.

We’re all busy and have trouble keeping up with calls and voicemails. But a phenomenon called telephobia shifts phone call anxiety to a much higher order of magnitude. We’re familiar with phobias of heights, spiders, crowded rooms, airplanes, and so on, but “fear of phones”? You may have never heard of it, but it’s real, and growing.

While considered relatively new, relegated to millennials and Gen Zers (digital natives who prefer texting to talking), telephobia has actually existed for decades and was first written about in the early ‘90s, years before cellphones or smartphones. One U.K. study found 40% of baby boomers and 70% of millennials reported anxiety when the phone rings. And a 2024 study of more than 300 students revealed 9% experienced moderate to severe telephobia and 33% experienced mild telephobia.

Common Causes and Triggers of Telephobia

Generally, people with telephobia fear what someone else (the person calling or leaving a........

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