Time Spent Using Smartphones (2023 Statistics)
In a relatively short period of time, smartphones have grown to a near-ubiquitous status.
With each passing new release, smartphones are becoming more powerful and all-encompassing. Understandably, this is leading to increased user adoption and a surge in daily screen time.
We’ll explore the statistics around smartphone screen time, breaking things down into these subcategories:
- Time Spent On Smartphone Stats 2023 (Editor’s Picks)
- Time Spent Using Smartphones Annually
- Time Spent Using Smartphones By Region
- Smartphone Use In The US
- Smartphone Use By Nation Over Time
- Time Spent Using Smartphones By Demographic
- How Time Is Spent On Smartphones
- Smartphone Use Perceived Effects
- Smartphone Use Projections
Time Spent on Smartphone Stats 2023 (Editor’s Picks)
Here are some highlights from this smartphone stats page:
- On average, people spend 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phones per day.
- Individuals check their phones an average of 58 times each day.
- Filipinos spend the highest amount of average time on their phones each day.
- Japanese citizens spend under half of the global average time on their smartphones.
- 3 in 4 Gen Zers claim to spend too much time on their smartphones.
For further context and more data, keep reading.
Time Spent Using Smartphones Annually
According to recent data, the average person spends 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phone each day. And 1 in 5 smartphone users spends upwards of 4.5 hours on average on their phones every day.
Perhaps surprisingly, weekdays average more smartphone use than weekends. On average, people check their phones 58 times per day. And almost 52% of phone checks (30 per day) occur during work hours.
Picking your phone up can become a habit as data shows that half of all screen time sessions begin within 3 minutes of the last.
Here’s a breakdown of time spent on smartphones by pick up:
| Time Spent on Smartphone | Average Amount of Times Per Day | Percentage of Daily Pick Ups |
| Less Than 2 Minutes | 40 | 69% |
| 2 to 10 Minutes | 15 | 26% |
| 10+ Minutes | 3 | 5% |
Across the day, the mean time spent on a smartphone per pick-up is around 1 minute 15 seconds.
Source: Rescue Time
Time Spent Using Smartphones by Region
Data from Q3 2021, shows that citizens of the Philippines spend over 5 hours 30 minutes per day on their smartphones.
In total, 7 countries exceed 5 hours of screen time per day on their phones. And 18 nations examined exceeded the average for Q3 2021 (3 hours 43 minutes).
Only 1 European nation exceeded the worldwide average - Turkey (4 hours 16 minutes). While 4 South-East Asian countries made up the top 10.
Here’s the full breakdown of each nation’s daily smartphone use in hours and minutes:
| Rank | Country | Continent | Time Spent on Smartphone per Day | Comparison to Average | Comparison to Average (%) |
| 1 | Philippines | Asia | 5 hours 47 mins | + 2 hours 4 mins | ↑ 35.7% |
| 2 | Thailand | Asia | 5 hours 28 mins | + 1 hour 45 mins | ↑ 32% |
| 3 | Brazil | South America | 5 hours 25 mins | + 1 hour 42 mins | ↑ 31.4% |
| =4 | Colombia | South America | 5 hours 9 mins | + 1 hour 26 mins | ↑ 27.8% |
| =4 | South Africa | Africa | 5 hours 9 mins | + 1 hour 26 mins | ↑ 27.8% |
| =6 | Argentina | South America | 5 hours 4 mins | + 1 hour 21 mins | ↑ 26.6% |
| =6 | Nigeria | Africa | 5 hours 4 mins | + 1 hour 21 mins | ↑ 26.6% |
| 8 | Indonesia | Asia | 4 hours 56 mins | + 1 hour 13 mins | ↑ 24.7% |
| 9 | Malaysia | Asia | 4 hours 49 mins | + 1 hour 6 mins | ↑ 22.8% |
| 10 | Mexico | North America | 4 hours 37 mins | + 54 mins | ↑ 19.5% |
| =11 | Saudi Arabia | Asia | 4 hours 35 mins | + 52 mins | ↑ 18.9% |
| =11 | UAE | Asia | 4 hours 35 mins | + 52 mins | ↑ 18.9% |
| 13 | Ghana | Africa | 4 hours 34 mins | + 51 mins | ↑ 18.6% |
| 14 | Egypt | Africa | 4 hours 25 mins | + 42 mins | ↑ 15.8% |
| 15 | Turkey | Europe/Asia | 4 hours 16 mins | + 33 mins | ↑ 12.9% |
| 16 | Taiwan | Asia | 4 hours 12 mins | + 29 mins | ↑ 11.5% |
| 17 | India | Asia | 4 hours 5 mins | + 22 mins | ↑ 9% |
| 18 | Kenya | Africa | 3 hours 51 mins | + 8 mins | ↑ 3.5% |
| - | Global Average | - | 3 hours 43 mins | - | - |
| 19 | Romania | Europe | 3 hours 41 mins | - 2 mins | ↓ 0.9% |
| 20 | Russia | Europe/Asia | 3 hours 39 mins | - 4 mins | ↓ 1.8% |
| 21 | Singapore | Asia | 3 hours 38 mins | - 5 mins | ↓ 2.3% |
| 22 | Morocco | Africa | 3 hours 35 mins | - 8 mins | ↓ 3.7% |
| 23 | Portugal | Europe | 3 hours 34 mins | - 9 mins | ↓ 4.2% |
| =25 | Vietnam | Asia | 3 hours 32 mins | - 11 mins | ↓ 5.2% |
| =25 | Hong Kong | Asia | 3 hours 32 mins | - 11 mins | ↓ 5.2% |
| 26 | Israel | Asia | 3 hours 31 mins | - 12 mins | ↓ 5.7% |
| 27 | US | North America | 3 hours 30 mins | - 13 mins | ↓ 6.2% |
| 28 | China | Asia | 3 hours 6 mins | - 37 mins | ↓ 19.9% |
| 29 | Ireland | Europe | 3 hours 5 mins | - 38 mins | ↓ 20.5% |
| 30 | New Zealand | Oceania | 2 hours 59 mins | - 44 mins | ↓ 24.6% |
| 31 | Poland | Europe | 2 hours 58 mins | - 45 mins | ↓ 25.3% |
| 32 | Sweden | Europe | 2 hours 55 mins | - 48 mins | ↓ 27.4% |
| 33 | Canada | North America | 2 hours 51 mins | - 52 mins | ↓ 30.4% |
| 34 | Australia | Oceania | 2 hours 49 mins | - 54 mins | ↓ 32% |
| 35 | Spain | Europe | 2 hours 48 mins | - 55 mins | ↓ 32.7% |
| 36 | South Korea | Asia | 2 hours 46 mins | - 57 mins | ↓ 34.3% |
| 37 | Italy | Europe | 2 hours 45 mins | - 58 mins | ↓ 35.2% |
| 38 | UK | Europe | 2 hours 41 mins | - 1 hour 2 mins | ↓ 38.5% |
| 39 | Greece | Europe | 2 hours 37 mins | - 1 hour 6 mins | ↓ 42% |
| =40 | Austria | Europe | 2 hours 29 mins | - 1 hour 14 mins | ↓ 49.7% |
| =40 | Switzerland | Europe | 2 hours 29 mins | - 1 hour 14 mins | ↓ 49.7% |
| 42 | Netherlands | Europe | 2 hours 22 mins | - 1 hour 21 mins | ↓ 57% |
| =43 | Belgium | Europe | 2 hours 19 mins | - 1 hour 23 mins | ↓ 60.4% |
| =43 | France | Europe | 2 hours 19 mins | - 1 hour 23 mins | ↓ 60.4% |
| 45 | Germany | Europe | 2 hours 14 mins | - 1 hour 28 mins | ↓ 66.4% |
| 46 | Denmark | Europe | 2 hours 13 mins | - 1 hour 29 mins | ↓ 67.7% |
| 47 | Japan | Asia | 1 hour 39 mins | - 2 hours 4 mins | ↓ 125.3% |
Source: DataReportal
Smartphone Use in the US
Almost half (46%) of Americans believe they spend an average of 4 to 5 hours on their smartphones each day.
While 22% claim to spend between 3 and 4 hours on their phones. And 16% think they spend an average of 1 to 2 hours on their phone per day.
On the extreme end of the spectrum, 11% claim to spend 7+ hours on their phones each day. And just 1 in 20 (5%) Americans stated they use their phones less than 1 hour per day.
A 2021 survey of 3,000+ Americans found that Mississippi had the highest average time spent on smartphones per capita at 5.67 hours (5 hours 40 mins).
On the other end of the spectrum, Ohio had the lowest average screen time per person each day at 3.6 hours (3 hours 36 mins). All 48 states with sufficient data total a higher average screen time than the Q3 2021 DataReportal research above.
Mississippi experienced the largest change in smartphone use between 2019 and 2021, increasing by more than 130% in those two years.
Here are the top five states by increased smartphone use between 2019 and 2021:
- Mississippi - ↑ 132.8%
- Oklahoma - ↑ 132.1%
- Alaska - ↑ 128.3%
- Kentucky - ↑ 120.2%
- New Hampshire - ↑ 107.1%
And these are the bottom five states by increased smartphone use between 2019 and 2021:
- Arizona - ↓ 21.2%
- Ohio - ↓ 6.5%
- Nevada - ↑ 0.4%
- Pennsylvania - ↑ 3.2%
- Tennessee - ↑ 12.2%
The general trend of increased phone use is expected to continue to increase in the US.
Back in 2019, the average time spent on non-voice activities on smartphones in the US totaled an average of 3 hours 45 minutes.
This figure has increased year-over-year, reaching an estimated 4 hours 29 minutes in 2022. And is projected to climb further to 4 hours 35 minutes in 2023.
Source: SellCell, SimpleTexting, eMarketer
Smartphone Use by Nation Over Time
Thailand
Thailand has one of the highest average smartphone use duration per capita per day in the world.
Between 2019 and 2020, the average time spent using smartphones in the country jumped significantly from 3.51 hours (3 hours 31 minutes) to 6.8 hours (6 hours 48 minutes) - an increase of 93.7%.
The notable rise was perhaps boosted by the pandemic as desktop & laptop use rose 48.9% and tablet use skyrocketed by 1,468.8%.
UK
Similarly, phone usage in the UK has experienced a notable surge.
In 2019, the reported daily average hours spent on cell phones was 3 hours. This increased to 3.7 hours (3 hours 42 minutes) in 2020. And grew further to 4 hours in 2021.
China
eMarketer data spanning almost a decade shows the consistent increase in smartphone daily usage year-over-year in China.
Back in 2011, the average person in China used their smartphones just 22 minutes per day.
By 2020, this figure had increased around 8x to 3 hours 16 minutes. And in 2022 average daily smartphone use totaled an estimated 3 hours 34 minutes.
As of 2023, the average daily smartphone screen time in China is predicted to hit 3 hours 50 minutes.
Source: MarketPlus, Daily Mail, eMarketer
Time Spent Using Smartphones by Demographic
Around 3 in 4 Gen Zers admit to spending more time on their smartphones than they would like each day. By comparison, just over half of the Baby Boomers feel the same way.
In fact, 24% of Gen Z respondents claimed that smartphone overuse had become a problem in their lives. And 41% of Gen Zers claim to be actively taking steps towards reducing their screen time.
Here is the generational breakdown of smartphone use:
| Generation | On Phone More Than Preferable | Taking Steps to Reduce Screen Time |
| Baby Boomers | 51.6% | 31.3% |
| Gen X | 66.7% | 40.7% |
| Millennials | 67.3% | 30.5% |
| Gen Z | 76.3% | 41% |
Another research study found that females are more likely to use smartphones for longer durations of time than males. From a sample of over 30,000 people, the daily average smartphone screen time for females was approximately 2 hours 47 minutes, compared to 2 hours 34 minutes for males.
This corroborates findings from a 2022 paper that asked respondents if they spend more time on their smartphones than their partners.
In total, 78% of females claim to spend more time on their smartphones than their partners.
And although the majority of males asked also believe they spend more time on their smartphones than their partners, a lower proportion claimed to do so (64%).
Source: SimpleTexting, ResearchGate, SellCell
How Time is Spent on Smartphones
Unsurprisingly, using smartphones to access the internet has become increasingly commonplace.
In 2014, just under 1/3rd of time on smartphones was spent using the internet. By 2019, internet usage accounted for more than half of the time spent on smartphones. And this figure continues to grow.
Here’s a look at internet usage as a share of total time spent on smartphones since 2013:
| Quarter | Share of Time Spent on Smartphones | Percentage Change Over Previous Year |
| Q3 2013 | 27.3% | - |
| Q3 2014 | 33.1% | ↑ 5.8% |
| Q3 2015 | 37.7% | ↑ 4.6% |
| Q3 2016 | 39.1% | ↑ 1.4% |
| Q3 2017 | 45.6% | ↑ 6.5% |
| Q3 2018 | 49.4% | ↑ 3.8% |
| Q3 2019 | 50.8% | ↑ 1.4% |
| Q3 2020 | 52.8% | ↑ 2% |
| Q3 2021 | 53.5% | ↑ 0.7% |
The raw minutes spent accessing the internet via smartphones have also risen year-over-year during the last decade.
In 2011, this figure accounted for just over half an hour (32 minutes). By 2014, this had almost doubled, reaching 1 hour 3 minutes. And as of 2021, the average daily time spent using the internet on a smartphone was approximately 2 hours 35 minutes.
This rise coincides with the steady decline of internet usage via desktop.
Here’s a closer look at internet usage by the device since 2011:
| Year | Desktop Internet Use | Mobile Internet Use | Mobile Internet Use Change Over Previous Year | Difference Between Desktop and Mobile Internet Use |
| 2011 | 43 mins | 32 mins | - | Desktop +11 mins |
| 2012 | 47 mins | 36 mins | ↑ 4 mins | Desktop +11 mins |
| 2013 | 49 mins | 45 mins | ↑ 9 mins | Desktop +4 mins |
| 2014 | 47 mins | 1 hour 3 mins | ↑ 18 mins | Mobile +16 mins |
| 2015 | 42 mins | 1 hour 21 mins | ↑ 18 mins | Mobile +39 mins |
| 2016 | 40 mins | 1 hour 34 mins | ↑ 13 mins | Mobile +54 mins |
| 2017 | 42 mins | 1 hour 49 mins | ↑ 15 mins | Mobile +1 hour 7 mins |
| 2018 | 39 mins | 2 hours 2 mins | ↑ 13 mins | Mobile +1 hour 23 mins |
| 2019* | 39 mins | 2 hours 12 mins | ↑ 11 mins | Mobile +1 hour 33 mins |
| 2020* | 38 mins | 2 hours 23 mins | ↑ 11 mins | Mobile +1 hour 45 mins |
| 2021* | 37 mins | 2 hours 35 mins | ↑ 12 mins | Mobile +1 hour 58 mins |
*Projected figures
Social media is a huge part of both smartphone and internet use.
According to research, the main reason people use social media apps is boredom (51.8%).
Other reasons for using smartphones to access social media include:
- Curiosity - 18.6%
- Information - 16%
- Loneliness - 9.4%
- Necessity/Work - 3.8%
- Health purposes - 0.4%
Source: DataReportal, Zenith, SimpleTexting
Smartphone Use Perceived Effects
Despite increasing daily smartphone use, only around 1 in 10 people (10.3%) believe screen time has a positive effect on mental health.
By contrast, 68.6% of those surveyed believe that screen time affects mental health negatively.
The same study asked respondents what things they associate with screen time. The response with the highest proportion of agreement (54.7%) was that screen time is associated with eye strain.
Results show a mixed bag of both positive and negative associations:
| Screen Time Effect | Positive/Negative | Respondents Who Accept an Association |
| Eye strain | Negative | 54.7% |
| Being more informed | Positive | 54.1% |
| Not getting work done | Negative | 50.3% |
| Feeling more connected | Positive | 48.1% |
| Trouble paying attention | Negative | 42.8% |
| Wider worldview | Positive | 36.6% |
| Anxiety | Negative | 29.5% |
| Back issues | Negative | 25.9% |
| Feeling less connected | Negative | 22.6% |
| Depression | Negative | 21.0% |
| Being more productive | Positive | 18.4% |
| Narrower worldview | Negative | 6.1% |
| None of the above | Neutral | 4.8% |
Source: SimpleTexting
Smartphone Use Projections
The $1 trillion+ global mobile industry continues to grow each year.
Smartphone users have risen year over year since 2016 and are projected to continue on that upwards trajectory for at least another half-decade.
There were approximately 3.67 billion smartphone subscriptions worldwide as of 2016.
This number has increased by between 300 million and 800 million each year. And hit an estimated 6.57 billion in 2022.
By 2027, there are expected to be 7.69 billion smartphone subscriptions - just 200 million shy of the current global population.
Given these projections and the above data, increased smartphone screen time for the foreseeable future appears almost inevitable.
Conclusion
Screen time is evidently on the rise.
Whether that’s positive or negative is debatable, but globally it is an undeniable fact.
Naturally, we will reach a plateau, but there is little to indicate that this will arrive in the coming years.
For more related content check out 14 Mobile App Development Trends and 30 In-Demand Mobile App Startups.