Americans Check Their Phones an Alarming Number of Times Per Day
It shouldn't be a surprise that many of us are spending too much time looking at screens, but the actual numbers are alarming.
More than half of Americans (57%) say they are addicted to their phones, among those surveyed(Opens in a new window) by Reviews.org. On average, in 2023, people are checking their phones 144 times a day, though surprisingly, that number has gone down substantially (-58%) since the organization last conducted a phone usage survey in January 2022.
That could be because people simply aren't putting their phones down, so there's no need to repeatedly check them: Screen time overall is up 30% this year. On average, Americans spend 4 hours and 25 minutes a day on their phones, compared to 2 hours and 54 minutes in 2022.
Many respondents say they have their phones with them at all times. They sleep with their phones (60%), check them within the first 10 minutes of waking up (89%), and use them on the toilet (75%). When a notification comes in, three-fourths (75%) of survey respondents across generations look at it within five minutes.
That doesn't leave much time without our phones. Most people say they are uneasy leaving their phone at home (75%), and the majority have never gone longer than 24 hours without it (55%). If the battery level dips below 20%, a sense of panic or anxiety sets in for 47%.
There are some positive trends in phone usage this year compared with last year. The table below (data courtesy of Reviews.org) shows decreases in looking at phones while driving (-14%) and when on a date (-5.5%).
People also indicate they're less obsessed with obtaining the latest and greatest shiny objects. Survey respondents report that having the newest model is less important this year (-8%), and
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