51+ Scary Smartphone Addiction Statistics for 2021 [Nomophobia on the Rise]

Hello, nomophobes 🙂

Nomo-what ?!

Stop.

There’s no need to involve Google in this. If you haven’t heard the term, I’ll explain it in a minute.

Today we’ll take a look at some smartphone addiction statistics. They will help us understand if we are addicted to our mobile devices and if it could pose a problem to our health and social life.

So why did I call you nomophobes?

Well, since we’ll be talking about mobile device addiction, we should use the correct term, right? And it is nomophobia – no–mobile-phone-phobia. Simply put – it’s the fear of not having your phone with you.

Jaw-Dropping Smartphone Addiction Statistics

• The average smartphone owner unlocks their phone 150 times a day.
• Using smartphones for longer intervals of time changes brain chemistry.
• 66% of the world’s population shows signs of nomophobia.
• 71% usually sleep with or next to their mobile phone.
• Smartphone use and depression are correlated.
• 75% of Americans use their mobile phones in the toilet.
• 20% of people would rather go without shoes for a week than take a break from their phone

So is it a common phenomenon, or just a term, created by psychologists to keep themselves busy? We at TechJury looked deep into the smartphone addiction stats, double-checked them and we can share what we’ve found.

Key Smartphone Addiction Statistics for 2021

If you thought that smartphone addiction isn’t a “thing”, the following numbers will prove otherwise.

1. 66% of the population shows signs of nomophobia.

(Source: Trendhunter)

Two out of every three people are addicted to their phones. So, at the very least, you’re bound to know people who fit the profile. If you’re not sure, then keep reading and by the end of the article, you will have a clearer picture.

2. There was a 39% increase in the number of hours people spent on their smartphones in 2020.

(Source: Slick Text)

Nomophobia reached its peak in 2020.

As you may know, Cambridge Dictionary’s online fans voted nomophobia as the word that stood out most in 2018. 

Even in 2020, it still had a massive impact on people’s lives – especially during the pandemic when people had nothing better to do than scroll through their phones. As a result, daily smartphone usage in terms of average hours went up by 39%.

3. The average smartphone owner unlocks their phone 150 times a day.

(Source: Internet Trends)

We laugh roughly 15 times a day. And we check our phones ten times more than that.

4. 57% of smartphone users in the US have increased their smartphone screen time during the COVID-19 lockdown.

(Source: Compare Camp)

According to smartphone addiction stats in 2021, more than half of American smartphone users claim that they have increased their screen time by one hour, due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown. This is not far-fetched as many people have little or nothing to do during this period.

Smartphones have become a permanent factor in our daily lives in the last decade. Even now you are probably reading this on a mobile. We take them for granted, but do we stop, even for a second to ask ourselves:

How Often Do I Use My Smartphone?

Cell phone use statistics show that:

5. Users spend on average 2 hours and 51 minutes a day on their smartphones.

(Source: Bankmycell)

In comparison, the quality time people spend with their families amounts to less than 45 minutes a day.

6. 58% of smartphone users don’t go for 1 hour without checking their phones.

(Source: CNet)

Of course, younger people find it harder (68% of people of age 18-34) to keep their hands off their smartphones for an hour.

7. Brazilians spend 4 hours and 48 minutes online via a mobile device.

(Source: Statista)

Chinese are second in terms of their mobile phone usage – 3:03 hours and Americans are third with 2:37.

8. The average user touches their phone 2617 times a day.

(Source: Dscout)

10% of users are qualified as “heavy users” – they touch their phone (swipe, tap) 5427 times a day!

9. More than half of smartphone owners never switch off their phones.

(Source: Psychology Today)

Never.

24/7/365.

10. 71% usually sleep with or next to their mobile phone.

(Source: HuffingtonPost)

3% of them sleep with their phone in their hand. I will not comment on that.

11. 40% check their phones in the middle of the night.

(Source: Deloitte)

When waking in the middle of the night, 40% of people grab on their phone first. This definitely illustrates how addicted we are to our phones. 

12. 80% of smartphone users check their phone within 1 hour of waking or going to sleep.

(Source: Deloitte)

…and more than one-third of said 80% will do so within 5 minutes.

13. 41% of all adults check their phone a few times an hour.

(Source: Gallup)

Even if you didn’t realize it so far, this stat clearly illustrates how phone addiction works.

14. In 2021, people check their smartphones 58 times per day.

(Source: Elite Content Marketer)

According to smartphone addiction statistics for 2021, phone owners check their phones close to 60 times daily. Half the time it happens is during work hours.

Wondering how long the sessions last?

Well, 70% of the sessions last less than two minutes, while only a quarter last up to 10 minutes.

15. 75% of users admit that they have texted at least once while driving.

(Source: TrustMyPaper)

Actually, cell phone addiction studies show smartphone use is more dangerous on the road than alcohol abuse.

Now that we’ve seen how much we use our smartphones, we can ask some questions. Do we master our technology, or is it the other way around? How do these numbers affect our physical life and relations? Let’s see.

16. A single phone pick-up can set up a chain reaction that lasts the entire day.

(Source: Elite Content Marketer)

Mobile usage doesn’t happen during a single block of time.

Checking notifications once could open up a string of constant checks throughout the day. 

That’s not all:

Half the screen time happens within short breaks of up to three minutes.

How Teens and Their Parents Cope with Smartphone Addiction

We will also review the mental problems caused by nomophobia.

17. Screen time is the third most frequent source of conflict between parents and teens.

(Source: Common Sense Media)

Parents argue with their teens mostly about chores (35%), bedtime (33%), and phone usage (31%). Thankfully, there are numerous ways parents can limit their kids’ screentime. They should consider getting parental control software to limit their kids’ screentime. This can help because…

18. 89% of parents blame themselves and caregivers for their children’s cellphone addiction.

(Source: Bank My Cell)

Reports show that 47% of parents think that their children are addicted to their smartphones. What’s more, stats on smartphone addiction show that 5% of parents blame the children themselves, while 3% blame the smartphone manufacturers for this addiction. 

In spite of all these, 50% of parents are concerned about the impact of this addiction on their children’s mental health.

19. 58% of teens feel that people generally expect them to respond immediately to notifications.

(Source: Screen Education)

And therefore:

20. 41% of teens feel overwhelmed by the number of notifications they receive daily.

(Source: Screen Education)

This is just one of the teenage cell phone addiction symptoms that can lead to some psychological problems.

Still, teens aren’t the only ones.

21. 46% of parents in the UK feel addicted to their mobile devices.

(Source: Common Sense Media)

Oddly, only 44% of UK teens felt the same way about their devices. 50% of their US peers feel addicted as well.

22. 63% of parents feel teens are addicted to their devices.

(Source: Common Sense Media)

Teens’ smartphone addiction doesn’t worry only the moms and dads in the UK. 61% of parents in Japan feel their kids have acquired some sort of technology addiction, according to statistics. Third are the US parents (59%).

23. 78% of teens check their devices at least once an hour.

(Source: Common Sense Media)

Well, teens surely can manage their time better than having the phone glued to their hands.

24. 48% of teens use a mobile device 5 minutes after they wake up.

(Source: Common Sense Media)

The excessive phone use for almost half of teens starts at the beginning of their day.

Unfortunately, this leads to other problems, such as:

25. 33% of teens spend more time socializing with close friends online, rather than face-to-face.

(Source: Screen Education)

69% of teens wish they could spend more time socializing with their close friends face-to-face.

I remember the time when face-to-face was the only way of socializing. Probably most of you do too.

Anyway, even when teens are outside, socializing face-to-face, phone addiction statistics show that:

26. 52% of teens sit around in silence, staring at their smartphones for extended periods when they are together with friends.

(Source: Screen Education)

If you didn’t know this already, these statistics might be an eye-opener. Let me build upon that with some scientific data.

27. In 2020, 84% of parents were worried that their children could stumble upon inappropriate content online. 

(Source: Best Media Info)

The pandemic forced most kids to attend online classes in most countries around the world.

According to technology addiction statistics, over 80% of parents were concerned that more screen time could put their children in danger. Since the lessons happen over the internet, it’s more than likely that a child could get bored and decide to drift into other sites. Some could be inappropriate.  

Shockingly, nearly 60% of parents in a survey never took any safety measures, like using a smartphone monitor app such as Bark or Qustodio. However, the good news was that 61% of the respondents said they kept a keen eye on what their youngsters were doing online. 

How Smartphone Addiction Affects Teenagers?

I will just let the smartphone addiction stats speak for themselves.

28. 11 teens die from distracted driving due to smartphones daily.

(Source: Compare Camp)

According to teenage cell phone addiction statistics, 26% of teenage and adult accidents around the world are caused by the use of mobile phones while driving. Reports further show that those looking at their phones while driving are four times more likely to have an accident than those who don’t.

29. 35% of teenagers do not feel that using smartphones in class during a lecture is rude.

(Source: Compare Camp)

Teenage cellphone addiction statistics indicate that every day, 72% of teenagers see their classmates watch videos, surf the internet, play games, and use social media apps in class.

30. Teenagers who spend 5 hours a day on electronic devices are 71% more likely to have suicide risk factors than those with one-hour use.

(Source: Jean M. Twenge)

Smartphone dependency statistics also show that:

31. 8th graders who are heavy users of social media are 27% more likely to have depression.

(Source: The Atlantic)

This is one of the most alarming phone usage statistics for parents. Depression itself is bad, but it also leads to other issues. 3 out of 4 teens with depression have anxiety, and 47.2% of them also have behavior problems.

32. Teens that spend 5 hours a day on electronic devices are 51% more likely to get under 7 hours of sleep.

(Source: Bankmycell)

The lack of sleep can lead to dozens of other problems, including obesity. Researches show the average teenager needs 8-10 hours of sleep.

33. 80% of teens typically spend time on their phone after they go to bed.

(Source: Screen Education)

Thankfully, if you are a parent, you have multiple options to limit your kid’s screen time. There’s a variety of apps that can do that, and even the best antivirus tools come with built-in parental controls.

34. Smartphone use and depression are correlated.

(Source: The Guardian)

More than two decades ago – in 1998, the American rock band “The Offspring” released a single you’ve probably heard – “Kids aren’t alright”. It has voiced the concerns of “grown-ups” for two generations now.  As far as the current generation of kids is concerned, the song could easily refer to the statistics on cell phone usage we’ve reviewed above.

Except it wouldn’t really be fair to point that out. You wanna know why?

Adults are even worse than teens.

In the next section of this article, we’ll try to understand

How Smartphone Addiction Influences Our Daily Lives?

Before we step into the adult world of smartphone zombies, let’s define the word “addiction” first.

The word “addict” was used first in 1909 to describe morphine addicts. It derives from the Latin word “addico”, one of the meanings of which is “enslaved”.

Are adults “enslaved” by smartphones, like teens are?

While reviewing smartphone statistics for this article, I was really surprised how many of these statistics relate to me, personally. So I’d like to share them with you. We’ll find out together where we stand in the digital world.

35. An average smartphone user checks his phone every 12 minutes from when they are awake till when they sleep.

(Source: DIY Genius)

Smartphone addiction statistics show that this is even more predominant in young people between the ages of 18 to 21. They check their phones every 8.6 minutes from when they wake up until they go to sleep.

36. 85% of smartphone users will check their devices while speaking with friends and family.

(Source: Bankmycell)

85 percent!

Arguably, revising our smartphone habits might prove useful if we want to improve our social life.

37. We spend on average 144 minutes per day on social media.

(Source: Broadband Search)

Let it sink in for a while…

144 minutes…

Everyday…

Advertisers are quite happy with those cell phone usage numbers, I can tell you that.

Hopefully, the adults are happy as well.

For comparison, in 2012 we spent an average of 60 minutes on social media.

38. We’ll spend an average of 5 years and four months of our lifetimes on social media.

(Source: Mediakix)

To avoid becoming a part of smartphone addiction statistics on social media and save five years of your life, maybe it would be wise to leave the phone for a while. 

I’m not saying you should delete your social media account. But maybe slowing down a bit can pay off, though.

While we are on the topic let’s see how…

Smartphone Addiction Changes Our Work Habits

39. 84% of US working adults use their personal phones during working hours.

(Source: Deloitte)

Probably 16% of them didn’t have phones or didn’t admit to using them, because everyone I know uses their phone during working hours. Phone stats show your phone has the potential to keep you distracted. It can provide some rest (or an escape) from the work process. And we aren’t talking BYOD here, only as a distraction. 

US workers aren’t the only ones:

40. 75% of workers in the UK check their phones while at work.

(Source: YouGov)

41. 36% of millennials say they spend 2 or more hours per workday looking at their phones for personal activities.

(Source: Udemy)

Cell phone statistics show that companies are losing millions because of their “distracted” workforce. That said, businesses should consider choosing an employee monitoring system to keep their employees productive. 

42. 59% think that personal use of technology is more distracting than work tools.

(Source: Udemy)

And guess who the biggest thief of attention is? It’s really easy to guess – Facebook. The social network is the biggest distraction according to 86%.

43. “Being constantly interrupted by alerts and notifications may be contributing towards a problematic deficit of attention.”

(Source: Silence Your Phones)

We can’t skip the psychological signs in this list of smartphone addiction stats. You might want to address this for you and your loved ones.

44. A study observed people experiencing changes in heart rate and blood pressure.

(Source: The Extended iSelf)

The participants in this study were separated from their phones and experienced higher blood pressure and increased heart rate. Body changes like these suggest an answer to the question “are phones addictive?”

So why do people get addicted to their phones? Using smartphones for longer intervals of time makes the brain increase the production of dopamine. Dopamine is a part of the reward system in the brain. And the more rewards we receive, the more we want. Which can lead to a well-established habit.

So do you think we should do something about it? 

45. 63% of consumers try to limit their phone usage.

(Source: Deloitte)

Unfortunately, cell phone usage statistics show only 30% of them are successful. 

46. 43% of workers turn off their phones to cope with distraction.

(Source: Udemy)

Well, at least almost half the workers have found a way to be productive.

47. 60% of 18-to 34-year-olds and nearly 40% of all consumers say they use their phones too much.

(Source: Deloitte)

The good news is that more and more people realize they need to address their smartphone issues.

How Do I Beat My Phone Addiction?

First things first – take it slow. Don’t lock your phone in a safe somewhere. It doesn’t work like that.

There are two places you can start with:

1. The Bedroom

You can buy yourself a normal alarm clock and make the bedroom a phone-free zone. You don’t actually need the phone in your bed.

2. The Table

Leave the phone away while eating or socializing with friends. That way you’ll be able to enjoy both the conversations and the meal itself. It’s refreshing to talk to people face-to-face, instead of chatting with them online. Most people don’t bite.

*fun fact – Human bites account for 0.3% of ER visits.

By now you should realize that smartphone addiction is real, and there are stats to prove it.

Here’s another tip on how to avoid it:

Turn off Your Notifications

By limiting the urge to see what’s happened, in time you will let go of the need for your phone. All you need it to do is to shut the little voice in your head, that shouts like a crazy person:

“HEY! HEEEY! HELLLOOO! Your phone’s light is blinking. Something’s happened. COME ON! HURRYY. PICK IT UUUP!”

Probably it’s only my inner voice that sounds like a hyperactive gnome on cocaine. But you get the idea.

I hope this information helps you stay out of the cell phone usage statistics.  

If you’ve read any of my other articles like “What is a cyber attack?”, or “How to create a strong password” you already know that I always “spice up” my texts with some interesting facts.

While researching the topic I stumbled upon some really…

Interesting Statistics About Smartphone Addiction

We can all agree that smartphone addiction is an alarming trend. Still, this shouldn’t stop us from knowing the fun side of it.

48. 45% of people in the United States will rather give up sex for one year than give up their phones.

(Source: Small Business Trends)

That is almost half of the cellphone users in the United States!

Smartphone addiction rate statistics go further to inform us that 32.7% of Americans spend lesser time with their partners than with their phones.

49. 75% of Americans use their mobile phones in the toilet.

(Source: Cnet)

I can relate to that. Not proud of it, but I do. I defend castles on my toilet. I have a throne, why not be a king as well?

Bad jokes aside, 93% of Gen Z and Y are toilet texters.

When we already have the term “toilet texter”, things aren’t looking good.

However, not everyone manages to text because:

50. 19% of them drop their phone down the toilet.

(Source: Cnet)

Been there. Done that. Had to buy a new phone. Now I’m more careful. I suggest you are too.

Smartphone addiction stats show not all smartphone users have this issue, because…

51. More people have smartphones than toilets worldwide.

(Source: TheRichest.com)

Nothing can compare to the feeling of peeing in the woods (or in a hole), while checking your email or playing a game. Priceless.

52. 20% of people would rather go without shoes for a week than take a break from their phone.

(Source: Psychology Today)

I wasn’t going to comment on that, but I can’t help myself.

Just imagine the psychologist doing the survey: Okay now, what do you prefer? To go around barefoot for seven days or leave your phone on this table for a while?

53. 20% of people aged 18-34 have used their smartphones during sex.

(Source: TheRichest.com)

I had to research a whole new topic to be able to explain this stat. And the most common reason for grabbing the phone is… filming. Or taking a picture of the act.

Using your phone in moments like this is a sure indicator that you can get addicted to your phone.

Conclusion

In the text above we looked at nomophobia and what it looks like in our society. As always I did my best to inform you about the issue and hopefully, to help some of those who can’t live without their smartphones. More and more people consider their tech as an extension of themselves – the so-called extended self.

Most of us get anxious when our phone is not around, so it might pay off to learn to let go of it for a change. It could be good for us to go out and socialize without the addiction trigger in our pockets.

The smartphone addiction statistics I presented aren’t just numbers. They represent actual human beings and you probably recognized yourself in some of these stats. Who knows, maybe it would be a good thing to put the phone down? After all, it’s alright to allow yourself to enjoy life for a bit.