We spend 4 hours and 37 minutes on our phones each day, checking them around 58 times, on average. We like to tell ourselves it's to socialize, for work, or to read the news. But most of us are addicted, and we know it.
You can test whether you are on the Smartphone Addiction Scale here.
How prevalent is smartphone addiction? Study after study confirms that people are becoming increasingly addicted to smartphones — in every country tested, and in all ages.
In the US, for example, nearly 57% of those asked in a recent survey admitted to being addicted to their phones.
"There is evidence that problematic smartphone use impacts negatively on the lives of many people. There are associations between problematic smartphone use and mental health symptoms, such as depression and anxiety," said Zaheer Hussain, a social scientist at Nottingham Trent University, UK.
People are getting tired of their smartphone behaviors — as is often the case with an addiction.
But the hard part is that people wanting to beat smartphone addiction can find it as hard as those who want to quit smoking — it's a difficult psychological battle. Social apps, boredom, or simple daily habits can have you reaching for your phone often without realizing it.
But the long-term health benefits of reducing your smartphone habits are huge.
Studies show smartphone addiction is linked with a range of health issues, including sleep disturbances, eye strain, physical inactivity, and neck and back pain. Mentally, it contributes to depression, anxiety, loneliness, and impacts attention and memory, especially in teenagers.
Smartphone addiction can also be caused by those very same mental challenges. So, beating smartphone addiction can also help those struggles.
Smartphone addiction: Cause and result of mental health challenges
Smartphone addiction carries all the hallmark symptoms of a behavioral addiction — that is craving, dependence, withdrawal symptoms. It's similar to gambling or video-game addiction in that there's no addictive 'substance', such as a drug like cocaine.
Yes, apps and websites are designed to keep our attentions locked in, using gamification as a tool to get us addicted.
Many people report using smartphones to escape from stressful situations in the home. It's an escapist tool that can take the mind off depressing thoughts and feelings of anxiety.
But it is difficult to know whether smartphone addiction is a cause of mental health challenges, or a result of them.
That's why an important part of beating smartphone addiction is understanding why you became addicted in the first place.
Try multiple methods to quit smartphone addiction all at once
There's no quick fix to beating smartphone addiction. Different people need different methods, often more than one. And it takes real dedication.
But scientists have verified several methods to help beat smartphone addiction. Most of these are similar to tools used to beat other behavioral addictions, and often rely on behavioral re-training.
Here are some methods that scientists recommend:
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Leave your smartphone outside your bedroom at night, or at least out of reach in the corner of the room.
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Put your phone in another room when studying or working so you have to get up to check it
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Reduce notifications. Try using your phone's Do Not Disturb function, or turn off all sounds and vibrations for incoming messages and notifications
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Simple measures like setting the screen to black-and-white, removing social media apps from your home screen, and creating longer passcodes can work by increasing the barrier to using your phone
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Use apps to help self-control. Apps like Space, Forest, Flipd, and Screentime can limit daily smartphone use, lock away distracting apps, help you manage your habits.
The science of quitting smartphone addiction
The scientific consensus is that the more methods you use at the same time, the better your chances are of beating your smartphone addiction in the long term.
One clinical trial tested a ten-step behavioral program called the nudge-based intervention. It used multiple approaches like those listed above.
"The steps aimed to make the phone a little less rewarding to use, add a bit of friction to use it, and reduce the number of reminders to use the phone. This nudge-based intervention aimed to reduce problematic smartphone use without relying on willpower alone," said the study's lead author, Jay Olson, an addiction psychologist at University of Toronto in Canada.
It proved effective in the short term, returning problematic smartphone use scores to normal levels for at least 6 weeks.
"However, we have less data on which interventions work over the long term for years," Olson told DW.
Other clinical trials have shown how physical interventions help as well: Replacing smartphone use with exercise or sports effectively reduced smartphone addiction in university students, for example. This can also help reduce loneliness, anxiety, and stress levels that often accompany smartphone addiction.
Hussain said simply getting out into nature more can greatly benefit your mental health. "If we don't get out in nature then our phones and in extension social media, notifications, news reels, scrolling take over our lives. This can lead to anxiety and depression, and other mental health issues," said Hussain.
Know why you addicted to your smartphone
Smartphone addiction has become a significant health issue among students with mental health challenges. The addiction can feed and exacerbate those challenges.
Studies show how people who have an addiction to smartphones often become bored quickly, are more socially isolated, and express the tendency to feel lost without their smartphones.
If you feel your smartphone use is having an impact on your mental health, your relationships and your everyday life, it may be time to seek professional help.
"Several therapies have been shown to be effective, such as mindfulness therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy," said Olson.
Talk therapies, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), can provide step-by-step ways to stop compulsive behaviors and change your perceptions about your phone. These therapies can help identify why you are addicted and help you tackle those issues at the root.
