Are you addicted to your cellphone? How much time is too much? 10 things you should know

Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida
·4 min read

Are we addicted to our cellphones?

Judging by the reaction to a nationwide service outage Feb. 22 by several providers, we might be.

And at least one study by Harmony Healthcare IT — a health data management firm — showed just how much time we spend staring at our phones.

How much time do Americans spend on their phones?

4 hours, 37 minutes.

That's how much time Americans spend every day looking at their phones, according to Harmony Healthcare.

Putting phone screen time in perspective

  • 1 day every week

  • 6 days every month

  • 70 days a year

If the average American gets a phone at age 12 and lives to 76, they'll have spent more than 4,466 days — or 12 years — looking at their phone.

Screen time differs by generation, with Gen Zers at the top

Harmony Healthcare reported the amount of daily phone screen time differs by generation:

  • Gen Z: 6 hours and 5 minutes a day

  • Millennials: 4 hours 36 minutes

  • Gen X: 4 hours 9 minutes

  • Baby boomers: 3 hours 31 minutes

How much time do children spend in front of a screen?

Children between the ages of 8 and 18 spend a lot of time in front of a screen each day, according to 2010 study cited by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The breakdown:

  • 7.5 hours using entertainment media.

  • 4.5 hours watching TV.

  • 1.5 hours on computer.

  • More than 1 hour playing video games.

In 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law changes that prohibit students from using wireless communications devices during “instructional time,” with headroom for exceptions. How these new rules are implemented vary by school district.

Nomophobia: What is phone addiction?

Phone addiction has been described as the "obsessive use of a smartphone," according to the Addiction Center.

There's even a word for it: nomophobia, the fear of being without a mobile device.

And some are questioning their cell habits, with Google searches for cell phone addiction rising since 2004.

Effects of phone addiction:

  • Sleep deficit.

  • Lower concentration.

  • Creativity blocks.

  • Aggravated ADD.

  • Anxiety.

  • Reduced cognition.

  • Stress.

  • Loneliness.

  • Insecurity.

  • Impaired relationsships.

  • Poor grades.

  • Psychological disorders.

Signs and symptoms of phone addiction

There is a fine line between healthy and compulsive mobile use. Depending too heavily on a device can lead to a mobile addiction, the Addiction Center said.

Here are a few ways to discern if someone is showing signs of a phone addiction:

  • Lying about smartphone use.

  • Loved ones expressing concern.

  • Neglect or trouble completing duties at work, school, or home.

  • More and more time using a phone.

  • Accidents or injury due to phone use.

  • Weak or non-existent social life.

  • Isolation from loved ones.

  • Angry or irritated if phone use is interrupted.

  • Getting up at night to check a phone.

  • Limiting phone use is difficult.

How much time should you spend on your phone?

Health experts recommend spending no longer than two hours a day staring at a screen, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Why do we spend so much time on our phones?

Why do Americans use their phone so much? The breakdown:

  • Entertainment: 70%

  • Bored: 54%

  • Distraction: 41%

  • Habit: 41%

  • Connection: 38%

On average, 45 percent of respondents said they felt as if they were addicted to their phones. Broken down by generation, the numbers show:

  • Gen Z: 56%

  • Millennials: 48%

  • Gen X: 44%

  • Baby boomers: 29%

A total of 59% say they even use their phone while on the toilet.

Another 27% say they text at traffic lights. In Florida, Section 316.305, Florida Statutes went into effect in July 2019, allowing law enforcement to stop motor vehicles and issue citations to motorists who are texting and driving.

And 74% say they get nervous if they don’t know where their phone is.

Zombie scrolling adds to screen time

We even turn to our phones for no reason.

A total of 48% said they find themselves zombie scrolling, which is the scrolling on the phone out of habit, with no specific purpose for opening it or using it.

How the Harmony Healthcare study was conducted

December 2023, the firm surveyed 1,024 people about their phone screen time habits.

Respondents were asked to look up their average daily screen time logged on their phone and report it as part of the survey.

Ages ranged from 18 to 77 with an average age of 43. A total of 25% were Baby Boomers, 25% were Gen X, 25% were Millennials, and 25% were Gen Z.

A total of 52% were women, 45% were men, 2% were nonbinary, and 1% would rather not say.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Cell phone habit, addiction: Signs, how much use is too much?