According to the survey, the average has dropped from 205 in 2024 to 186 in 2025. The report says more Americans consider themselves “addicted” to their phones in 2026- that’s 3 percent more than last year. Fifty-three percent of the participants surveyed said they have never gone more than 24 hours without their phone.
Technology Expert, Peter Shankman, goes back to the 80’s and even as late as 2001, saying it was much different, when “breaking news” dropped into our living rooms by television alone. “We talked about it the next day at the water cooler in the office. It took a while to go away.” Shankman said.
Then, a seismic shift happened- the 24-hour news cycle.
“When things get quiet…too quiet…it’s like those mystery movies from the 50’s. We’ve sort of become addicted, for that constant hit of: What’s going on now!” He said.
He says, now in the days of the “24-hour-news cycle” people feel like they missed something. Therefore, we pick up our phone to get to the bottom of it looking for the news scanning social media platforms and news websites.
Shankman says it’s a constant level of technology and adrenaline that Americans live in.
The usage of the cell phone is a mix of necessary work and utility, entertainment and distraction and the tension between social connection and isolation.
On the other hand, the technology also brings much needed convenience- as we bank using the cell phone, utilize applications like Zoom or Microsoft Teams for work meetings, conducting doctor visits or therapy visits – that is also mixed up in the high usage numbers- no question Shankman says the numbers will continue to rise.
Some experts warn that too much usage can lead to or worsen mental and physical health problems, especially in adolescents.
Shankman urges parents to find ways to balance the amount of cell phone usage as he recommends implementing a healthy balance between the cell phone and other activities. “Everything really shifted when we went from “dumb phones” to the iPhone. Maybe we will start liming the time and leaving the cell phone at home. It might not be a bad idea; we are going in the wrong direction.
Some other stats found in the survey:
- 72.2% use their phone at work.
- 87.4% use their phone while watching TV
- 56.4% use their phone while eating dinner.
- 67.9% use their phone on the toilet
- 60.7% have texted someone in the same room
- 49.6% sleep with their phone at night
- 41.3% feel panic/anxiety at <20% battery
- 84.6% check their phone within 10 minutes of waking
- 76.3% feel uneasy leaving their phone at home
- 45.8% consider themselves “addicted” to their phone
- 53.1% have never gone longer than 24 hours without their phone
- 40.1% use their phone on a date
- 29.3% use their phone while driving
- 82.7% are on an unlimited mobile plan