Smartphone Addiction Statistics By Demographics, Generations, Age Group and Market Share
Barry Elad
Updated · Feb 11, 2025
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Introduction
- Editor’s choice
- Region Demographics Of Smartphone Addiction (Daily Usage)
- Highest Smartphone Addiction Rates Worldwide
- Number Of Smartphone Users Worldwide
- Hours Spent On Smartphones By Different Generations
- Smartphone Users In Different Age Groups
- Smartphone Ownership Over Time
- Smartphone Market Share
- Smartphone Addiction In Kids
- Time Spent on Smartphone
- Effects Of Smartphone Addiction
- Conclusion
Introduction
Smartphone Addiction Statistics: Smartphone addiction has turned out to be an increasingly worrying thing in the digital era. The growing number of smartphones and their increasing reliance on various daily activities make it imperative to understand the extent of this addiction. The devices keep us in touch, updated, and amused. But when does it become too much? Smartphone addiction statistics are on the rise among all age categories. If you constantly find yourself checking your phone, giving up sleep for movies, or suffering from withdrawal symptoms, you are not alone.
To help you comprehend how bad it has become, we will look at trends in usage patterns, important features, and effects of smartness in 2025, as well as general information related to psychological and physical implications-based studies regarding this issue.
Editor’s choice
- 9% of Americans acknowledge their dependence on phones
- On average, an American person accesses his/her mobile phone 144 times within a day
- 71% of individuals spend more time using their phones and not with their romantic partners
- 44% of American adults confess that they feel anxious when they do not possess their phones
- Mobile phones contribute to over 20% of road accidents;
- Teenagers who spend 5 hours or more on electronic devices were found to be 71% more likely than those who spend less than an hour daily only sporadically on such devices to exhibit suicidal behaviors.
- As per smartphone addiction statistics 57%, according to the survey, said children have addictions.
- 67% of teachers were able to identify students who were being distracted negatively by cell phones in class.
- Most parents (89%) believe they should regulate the use of their children’s cell phones.
- Among respondents aged 18 to 29 years with smartphone addiction statistics, about 22% admitted that they checked their devices every few minutes. This is true addiction!
- Recent statistics show that 36% of millennials state that they devote two or more hours during a working day to looking at their phones for social media, texting friends, playing games, and interacting with text message marketing programs.
- 41% of teenagers feel overwhelmed by the number of text alerts daily.
- 85% of respondents claimed it is hard to stop using such technologies until they have accustomed themselves to them.
- 67% of teens reported losing sleep because telephones or the internet were late at night.
- In the UK, 46% of parents who were interviewed felt addicted to devices from phone companies. 33% of teenagers spend more time socializing with close friends on the internet than face-to-face interaction. 52% said they do nothing but wait in silence on their smartphone for long hours while hanging out with friends.
Region Demographics Of Smartphone Addiction (Daily Usage)
- Global smartphone addiction statistics figures are on the rise. Concerning smartphone use, Filipinos and Thais are the world’s most addicted people.
- In Asia, smartphone addiction statistics have been noted as a leading cause of addiction. Filipinos are known to spend 5 hours and 31 minutes on their phones daily. This makes it the highest duration spent by any country anywhere in the world on mobile phones, with seven other nations exhibiting an average screen time of over five hours.
- Most Asian nations and North America dominate the list of the top 10 countries with the highest smartphone usage, while only two countries in this category hail from Africa. Overall, individuals use their phones for an average of 3 hours and 43 minutes each day worldwide.
- The only region that surpasses this is Europe, where only one country (Turkey) clocks in at four hours and sixteen minutes. This suggests that Europeans are less attached to their gadgets than other continents.
Highest Smartphone Addiction Rates Worldwide
(Reference: demandsage.com)
- China has smartphone addiction statistics with the highest rate
- For problematic smartphone use, China has a score of 36.16. Currently, the largest smartphone user population in the world is found in China, which is about one point five times higher than any other country.
- However, to control this alarming trend, China has introduced new regulations aimed at curbing youth internet addiction.
- The regulations state that teenagers aged between 16 and 18 will be allowed a maximum of two hours of smartphone use daily, while those below 16 will be subjected to an hour daily limit. The government has received different reactions from people on this initiative.
Number Of Smartphone Users Worldwide
(Reference: stastista.com)
- It is anticipated that the number of global smartphone users will increase by 1.5 billion (a 30.6% rise) between 2024 and 2029.
- After fifteen years of uninterrupted growth, the smartphone user base is projected to reach a new peak of 6.4 billion by 2029. The number of smartphone users has consistently risen over the past few years.
- This count includes only internet users of all ages who use smartphones. The figures presented are based on surveys adjusted for non-reported demographics.
- All data are derived from international and national statistical offices, trade associations, and trade press, which have been manipulated to produce comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).
Hours Spent On Smartphones By Different Generations
(Reference: demandsage.com)
- The GenZ generation is extremely reliant on technology for reminders, daily tasks, and even study purposes, as they have always been exposed to it right from an early age.
- On the other hand, GenXers and Baby Boomers prefer using mobile devices to get updated news, weather forecasts, and entertainment updates.
- Generation Z uses mobile phones the most, 6 hours and 37 minutes daily. GenZ spends twice as much time on their smartphone as Boomers, who use them for only around 3.3 hours daily.
- Nonetheless, members of this generation realize the need to cut down on their reading time on screens.
- A recent report on smartphone addiction statistics reveals that only 41% of young people are actively trying to reduce their screen time, compared to 31% of older individuals. Half of the interviewed Boomers expressed a desire to spend less time on their phones altogether. In contrast, more than three-fourths of younger individuals stated they would prefer not to have a smartphone at all.
The average daily smartphone usage is as follows:
- Gen Z: 6 hours 37 minutes
- Millennials: 5 hours 57 minutes
- Gen X: 4 hours 44 minutes
- Boomers: 3 hours 38 minutes
Smartphone Users In Different Age Groups
- People under 50 are 34% more likely to use smartphones than people over 65 years.
- Among the adults in America who make up 85%, many of them are below 50 and are more often than not addicted to using their mobile devices.
Smartphone Ownership Over Time
(Reference: explodingtopics.com)
- In the last half-decade, there’s been a notable surge(revelation) in the number of smartphone users without borders. Approximately 3.67 billion smartphone users existed in 2016.
- That number has grown by at least 300 million every year since then. The growth rate of smart mobile phones between 2016 and 2021 was 73.88%.
- As recorded earlier, ownership is presumed to persist in the three to four coming years. Forecasts show that globally, there will be over 7 billion smartphones by 2024, and the proportion of smartphone addiction statistics, as opposed to cell phone addiction, will keep on increasing.
- By 2025, it is expected that 72% of internet users will use cell phones only for browsing.
(Reference: counterpointresearch.com)
- Smartphone shipments worldwide were up 6% year-over-year in Q1 2024 to hit 296.9 million units.
- Samsung overtook Apple to become the leading smartphone maker worldwide, with a share of 20% or 59.4 million units shipped.
- Even though Apple’s shipments fell by 13% year over year, its ASP hit an all-time high during the first quarter due to the better performance of Pro versions; globally, iPhone units sold stood at 50.6 million.
- As far as the top ten best-selling smartphones are concerned, Apple’s iPhone remained number one with 50% of sales.
- Xiaomi is the fastest-growing among the first five OEMs, with a 34% year-over-year increase in its shipments. In Q1, Xiaomi reported a total of 41.6 million for all its global shipments.
- Globally, smartphone revenue also increased by 7% year over year and reached its peak during this season.
Q1 2024 smartphone vendor market share rankings:
- Samsung 20%
- Apple 17%
- Xiaomi 14%
- OPPO 8%
- vivo 7%
Smartphone Addiction In Kids
- A big part of the current generation’s addiction to phones is that they were introduced to them from childhood. These people cannot even eat, sleep, or do other things without their devices.
- As per the smartphone addiction statistics, 50% of kids in the United States aged 13 to 18 said that they are addicted to smartphones.
- Generation Alpha, which includes 13-year-olds, is known for its high rate of smartphone addiction statistics.
- Gen Alpha encompasses teenagers who are between the ages of 13 and 18 years old.
- They have been interacting with technology since childhood and, therefore, spend a lot of time on phones.
- Kids Spend An Average Of Nine Hours Daily On Their Phones
- Around one-third of children all over the world suffer from phone addiction. At the same time, 66% of them expressed feelings of being “uneasy” in the absence of smartphones around them.
- Also, 34% of respondents confessed to overdependence on smartphone addiction statistics.
- Moreover, almost half of children and teenagers admit to constantly checking their smartphones, as per the smartphone addiction statistics report.
Time Spent on Smartphone
- Major activities that are performed using smartphones include entertainment, social media, and games, among others.
- Messages are often preferred to be sent via phones instead of face-to-face encounters by three-fourths of mobile telephone owners.
- Nowadays, people spend more time with their mobile phones for social purposes or managing finances. Mobile phones can be nice tools when used wisely, but misusing them could be detrimental.
- Some of the popular uses of smartphones are socialization, entertainment, mobile shopping, and banking.
- Therefore, over 81% of people under age 50 use smartphones for social networking sites.
- It has been established that scrolling on social media beats all other types of activity performed using these digital gadgets. More than eight in ten average hours spent by individuals using their smartphones are attributed to visiting various social networks.
- Worldwide, smartphone owners spend an average of 2 hours and 24 minutes daily on social media platforms. By comparison, Americans spend just 2 hours 14 minutes a day on social media, which is 10 minutes less than the world average.
- Roblox was a game played by US children who spent 190 minutes every week playing using their cell phones.
- It is also true that this is the most popular game for kids aged 18 years and below in the USA.
- Norway, Europe, however, has witnessed a significant increase in its value as an alternative form of video gaming to counterbalance low salaries pouring in from the exportation of raw materials such as timber.
Effects Of Smartphone Addiction
- Smartphone addiction statistics can be quite beneficial in various aspects of life. Still, it may turn out to be detrimental to the health and well-being of the individual if not properly controlled, like in any other kind of addiction.
- Smartphone Addiction Statistics have serious implications for both mental and physical health, including muscular pain, sleeping disorders, and vulnerability to psychiatric disorders, among others.
- Those people addicted to the internet are 2.2 times more likely to suffer from sleep disturbances compared to those who don’t, as per smartphone addiction statistics.
- Moreover, young adults who suffer from smartphone addiction sleep poorly at 68%, whereas 57% are free from such problems.
- About 30% of individuals with phone addiction live an unhealthy life characterized by consuming junk foods frequently without exercising.
- When asked about bad night rest from using smartphones late into the night, over one in three respondents confessed they had had daytime drowsiness manifestations before caused by nighttime cellphone use.
- People suffering from smartphone addiction also show signs of depression, accounting for more than 30% of the total number.
- Moreover, teenagers spending more than 4 hours a day using their cell phones would be at a greater risk for suicidal thoughts.
Conclusion
Smartphone addiction statistics are a mounting worry for different ages and regions. Statistics indicate that a considerable number of Americans are reliant on their devices, feeling anxious without them. Teenagers are particularly affected as they exhibit high usage of smartphones, which is often associated with mental health issues and sleep disruption problems.
For instance, the Philippines and Thailand have emerged as leading nations in terms of daily mobile phone usage, prompting places such as China to enforce laws that curb young people’s mobile phone use. Smartphone addiction statistics reveal that by the end of 2024, it is estimated that there will be approximately 7.2 billion smartphone users worldwide.
There are marked differences across generations, with Generation Z using smartphones more frequently while Baby Boomers tend to use them less. In light of these trends, strategies aimed at reducing smartphone addiction statistics and promoting healthier digital behaviors are essential.
Sources
Barry Elad
Barry Elad is a tech enthusiast passionate about exploring various technology topics. He collects key statistics and facts to make tech easier to understand. Barry focuses on software and its benefits for everyday life. In his free time, he enjoys creating healthy recipes, practicing yoga, meditating, and walking in nature with his child. Barry's mission is to simplify complex tech information for everyone.
