Are You Addicted to Your Phone? Let’s Check the Stats (And Your Soul)

Imagine this: You’re sitting in a café, enjoying a coffee, and—oh wait, never mind. You’re actually scrolling Instagram, double-tapping latte art from a stranger in Norway. Your coffee is now cold. Your soul? Questionable.

Welcome to phone addiction, the epidemic no one wants to admit to but everyone has. Let’s get real:

• The average person checks their phone 144 times a day. That’s once every 10 minutes, assuming you sleep (which, let’s be honest, you don’t because—TikTok).

• The nomophobia rate (fear of being without your phone) is climbing faster than your unread emails. One study found that 66% of people feel extreme anxiety when they forget their phone at home. The other 34%? They’re lying.

• A study showed that simply having your phone on the table reduces brainpower, even if you don’t touch it. That means your phone is actively making you dumber just by existing.

But let’s not make this all doom and gloom. After all, the first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one. (Second step: Do not Google “how to cure phone addiction” on your phone. That’s like trying to quit sugar by eating a donut.)

The Test: Are You Addicted?

• Do you panic when your battery hits 20% like it’s the Hunger Games?

• Have you ever pretended to text to avoid human interaction?

• Does your screen time report feel like a personal attack?

If you answered yes to any of these… well, congrats, you’re just like the rest of us!

So, What Now?

I could tell you to set limits, delete social media, or read a book instead, but we both know you’re just going to skim this, nod, and then check your notifications.

Instead, try this: A 5-minute challenge. Put your phone down for 5 whole minutes and just… exist. Stare at a wall. Daydream. Scare a pigeon. You know, be human.

If that feels impossible, well… you’ve got your answer. Now excuse me while I check my own screen time report and cry.