We examined the relationship between stress and phubbing behavior among Chinese teenagers, as well as the mediating role of grit in this process. The sample comprised 487 teenagers aged between 15 and 19 years, who voluntarily completed a survey. We applied PROCESS Version 3.5 for SPSS to perform a mediation effect analysis, and the results indicated that both stress and grit had a significant impact on phubbing behavior. Grit partially mediated the relationship between stress and phubbing, implying that higher stress led to phubbing behavior through lower grit. Further, the two dimensions of grit (consistency of interest and persistence of effort) partially mediated the relationship between stress and phubbing. Our results provide guidance for preventing phubbing behavior among Chinese teenagers.