Quick Answer
How many people are addicted to their phones in 2025?
According to data, 6.3% of the 3.8 billion smartphone users worldwide, or 239 million people are addicted to their phones.
Mobile phones are one of the most-used devices today.
Many rely on their phones to keep them connected to other people and get fresh news, information, and entertainment on the internet.
Most of us are glued to our smartphones.
Yes, including me! Research reveals that the average phone users check and unlock their phone around 150 times daily, and 31% do not turn off their phones 24/7.
You are probably thinking now if you are addicted to your phone and curious to know how many people are addicted to their phones.
Let’s find out in this article.
How Many People are Addicted to Their Phones in 2025?
Do you feel boredom when you do not use your smartphone?
Or do you feel discomfort when you leave your house and forget to bring your phone?
You are not alone. Many people felt the same.
You might be one of the people with “nomophobia” or “no mobile phone phobia.”
According to data, 6.3% of the 3.8 billion smartphone users worldwide, or 239 million people are addicted to their phones.
In 2023, there are around 8 billion people worldwide, and 6.84 billion are smartphone users.
It shows that 85.5% of the world’s population uses smartphones. 66% show early signs of nomophobia.
In the United States, there are an estimated 311.8 million smartphone users in 2023.
47% of smartphone users in the country consider themselves addicted to their phones, and 45% mentioned that their phones are their most valuable possessions.
74% feel uneasy when they leave their phones at home, while 53% have never gone longer than a day without their phones.
Based on the report of Reviews.org, phone users in the US check their mobile devices an average of 344 times daily in 2022, equivalent to once every four minutes.
It is up from an average of 262 times daily or once every 5.5 minutes in the previous year.
Research shows that users of mobile devices spend an average of 2,617 times per day swiping, clicking, and tapping their phones and spend approximately 4 hours and 10 minutes daily.
Who is at Risk of Phone Addiction?
All mobile device users are at risk of phone addiction since most mobile devices are connected to the internet and have access to social media, mobile games, and entertainment services.
However, teenagers are probably the age group that is more likely to be addicted to their phones.
A study in Frontiers in Psychiatry reveals that adolescents aged below 20 years old are the most at risk of phone addiction since they spend most of their time on their phones and have behavioral problems.
They can’t effectively monitor, manage, and control their screen time since they are still developing self-control skills.
27% of smartphone users ages 11 to 14 years old do not turn their phones off 24/7.
The research found that teenagers who use smartphones and other electronic devices for around five hours or more daily are 71% more likely to be associated with suicide risk factors.
Here are the percentages of teenage phone addiction:
- 56% of teenagers feel anxious, upset, or lonely without their smartphones
- 72% of teenagers check their notifications and messages after waking up
- 54% of teenagers admit that they spend too much on their smartphones
- 47% of parents believe that their teenage sons and daughters are addicted to their smartphones
Smartphone Addiction Statistics
Do you use your smartphone often and even bring it when you go to the toilet?
Smartphones are undoubtedly addictive if users do not know how to manage their time using them.
According to the Finances Online report, the average time a smartphone user spends on their phones daily is more than 4 hours. 73.4% of smartphone users bring their devices to the toilet.
More than 43% unlock their smartphones 51 to 100 times daily, and 69% check their smartphones five minutes before sleeping.
According to a survey, 99.2% of smartphone users show a level of anxiety or fear if they accidentally leave their mobile devices, which is a sign of nomophobia.
Below is the breakdown of the severity of the symptoms of nomophobia, according to The Sydney Morning Herald:
- 50% of phone users show “moderate” nomophobia symptoms
- 37% of phone users show “mild” nomophobia symptoms
- 13% of phone users show “severe” nomophobia symptoms
Symptoms of Phone Addiction
Have you experienced telling yourself to avoid using your smartphone and ending up using it after a couple of minutes because you felt anxious about not checking your notifications?
It might be a sign of phone addiction.
Here are some of the common signs of phone addiction:
- You feel anxious, upset, or discomfort if you can’t use your phone
- You randomly grab your phone when you are bored
- You spend most of your time on your phone
- You quickly fall back when you try to stop or limit your phone usage
- You suddenly wake up to check your phone
- Your grades or work are affected by your excessive use of phone
- Your family and friends are telling you about your phone usage habits
Effects of Phone Addiction
People who overuse their phones affect their relationships with other people around them and can affect their school or work performance.
They can also acquire mental health issues since they have shorter and more disrupted sleeping time.
Their ability to process information and think clearly might also be affected.
Excessive use of phones can also result in stress, anxiety, and depression.
What do people need to do if they are addicted to their phones?
They can delete mobile apps that consume much of their time, turn off or put their notifications in silent mode, monitor their screen time, and lessen it the next day.
People with little self-control need to keep their phones out of reach and can start developing new hobbies.
Conclusion
As the number of smartphone users continuously grows, people who excessively use their smartphones also grew in number.
How many people are addicted to their phones?
More than 6% of the 3.8 billion smartphone users in the world were reported addicted to their phones.
66% show signs of no mobile phone phobia.
31% feel that it is important to have the latest smartphone model, and 47% upgraded their smartphones within a year.
