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Time Spent Using Smartphones (2024 Statistics)

by Josh Howarth
June 4, 2024

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 2024 (Editor’s Picks)

Here are some highlights from this smartphone stats page:

  • On average, people spend 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phones each 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 4 hours and 37 minutes on their phone every day. That's the equivalent of over 1 day per week or 6 days per month. Across a year, that's approximately 70 days spent looking at a phone.

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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.

Sources: Harmony Healthcare ITRescue Time

Time Spent Using Smartphones by Region

Data from Q3 2023, shows that Filipinos spend over 5 hours 20 minutes per day on their smartphones.

In total, 4 countries exceed 5 hours of screen time per day on their phones. And 22 nations examined exceeded the average for Q3 2023 (3 hours 50 minutes).

Remarkably, 4 South American nations feature in the top 10. While 4 South-East Asian countries also make 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
1 Philippines Asia 5 hours and 20 minutes ↑ 1 hr 30 mins
2 Brazil South America 5 hours and 19 minutes  ↑ 1 hr 29 mins
3 South Africa Africa 5 hours and 15 minutes  ↑ 1 hr 25 mins
4 Thailand Asia 5 hours and 2 minutes  ↑ 1 hr 12 mins
5 Ghana Africa 4 hours and 58 minutes  ↑ 1 hr 8 mins
6 Chile South America 4 hours and 48 minutes  ↑ 58 mins
7 Colombia South America 4 hours and 47 minutes  ↑ 57 mins
8 Indonesia Asia 4 hours and 45 minutes  ↑ 55 mins
=9 Argentina South America 4 hours and 37 minutes  ↑ 47 mins
=9 Malaysia Asia 4 hours and 37 minutes  ↑ 47 mins
11 Kenya Africa 4 hours and 36 minutes  ↑ 46 mins
12 UAE Asia 4 hours and 34 minutes  ↑ 44 mins
13 Egypt Africa 4 hours and 25 minutes  ↑ 35 mins
=14 Mexico North America 4 hours and 23 minutes  ↑ 33 mins
=14 Saudi Arabia Asia 4 hours and 23 minutes  ↑ 33 mins
16 Nigeria Africa 4 hours and 20 minutes  ↑ 30 mins
17 Turkey Europe/Asia 4 hours and 7 minutes  ↑ 17 mins
18 Taiwan Asia 4 hours and 5 minutes  ↑ 15 mins
19 India Asia 4 hours and 3 minutes  ↑ 13 mins
20 Russia Europe/Asia 3 hours and 56 minutes  ↑ 6 mins
21 Israel Asia 3 hours and 52 minutes  ↑ 2 mins
22 Romania Europe 3 hours and 51 minutes  ↑ 1 min
- Global Average - 3 hours and 50 minutes -
23 Bulgaria Europe 3 hours and 49 minutes ↓ 1 min
24 US North America 3 hours and 39 minutes ↓ 11 mins
25 Portugal Europe 3 hours and 33 minutes ↓ 17 mins
26 China Asia 3 hours and 31 minutes ↓ 19 mins
27 Vietnam Asia 3 hours and 30 minutes ↓ 20 mins
28 Singapore Asia 3 hours and 26 minutes ↓ 24 mins
=29 Croatia Europe 3 hours and 17 minutes ↓ 33 mins
=29 Hong Kong Asia 3 hours and 17 minutes ↓ 33 mins
31 Ireland Europe 3 hours and 15 minutes ↓ 35 mins
32 Hungary Europe 3 hours and 14 minutes ↓ 36 mins
33 New Zealand Oceania 3 hours and 13 minutes ↓ 37 mins
34 Sweden Europe 3 hours and 10 minutes ↓ 40 mins
35 Poland Europe 3 hours and 5 minutes ↓ 45 mins
36 Canada North America 2 hours and 59 minutes ↓ 51 mins
37 Norway Europe 2 hours and 58 minutes ↓ 52 mins
=38 Italy Europe 2 hours and 57 minutes ↓ 53 mins
=38 UK Europe 2 hours and 57 minutes ↓ 53 mins
=40 Australia Oceania 2 hours and 56 minutes ↓ 54 mins
=40 Czechia Europe 2 hours and 56 minutes ↓ 54 mins
42 Greece Europe 2 hours and 54 minutes ↓ 56 mins
43 Spain Europe 2 hours and 53 minutes ↓ 57 mins
44 Netherlands Europe 2 hours and 46 minutes ↓ 1 hr 4 mins
45 South Korea Asia 2 hours and 43 minutes ↓ 1 hr 7 mins
46 Austria Europe 2 hours and 41 minutes ↓ 1 hr 9 mins
47 Switzerland Europe 2 hours and 38 minutes ↓ 1 hr 12 mins
48 Germany Europe 2 hours and 36 minutes ↓ 1 hr 14 mins
49 France Europe 2 hours and 34 minutes ↓ 1 hr 16 mins
50 Belgium Europe 2 hours and 26 minutes ↓ 1 hr 24 mins
51 Denmark Europe 2 hours and 24 minutes ↓ 1 hr 26 mins
52 Morocco Africa 2 hours and 21 minutes ↓ 1 hr 29 mins
53 Japan Asia 1 hour and 54 minutes ↓ 1 hr 56 mins

Source: DataReportal

Smartphone Use in the US

Around 1 in 3 (36%) Americans believe they spend too much time on their smartphones each day.

And 40% aim to cut down on their smartphone use. However, 27% don't think they will be successful.

Split by age, there is a correlation between generation and phone screen time:

Generation Average Daily Screen Time Proportion Who Feel Addicted
Gen Z 6 hours and 5 minutes 56%
Millennial 4 hours and 36 minutes 48%
Gen x 4 hours and 9 minutes 44%
Baby Boomer 3 hours and 31 minutes 29%

    A recent study found that, on average, children get their first phone at age 12. That means that the average American is expected to spend approximately 12 years of their life looking at their phone.

    More than half of Americans believe they are too dependent on their phones (52%). As many as 3 in 5 (59%) use their phones on the toilet while 27% will text when at stoplights.

    Time spent on non-voice activities continues to rise in the US. Between 2019 and 2024, the amount of time spent on daily mobile phone use has risen from 3 hours and 45 minutes to 4 hours and 49 minutes according to eMarketer.

    Here's a breakdown of that change over time:

    Year Time Spent on Non-Voice Mobile Phone Use
    2019 3 hours and 45 minutes
    2020 4 hours and 16 minutes
    2021 4 hours and 24 minutes
    2022 4 hours and 30 minutes
    2023* 4 hours and 36 minutes
    2024* 4 hours and 49 minutes

    *Projected figures.

    Sources: Harmony Healthcare IT, Stanford Medicine, 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.

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    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 and 47 minutes, compared to 2 hours and 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.

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    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%
    Q3 2022 56.9% ↑ 3.4%
    Q3 2023 57.6% ↑ 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 and 3 minutes. And as of 2023, the average daily time spent using the internet on a smartphone was approximately 3 hours and 50 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
    2022* 2 hours 51 mins 3 hours 46 mins ↑ 1 hour 11 mins Mobile +55 mins
    2023* 2 hours 50 mins 3 hours 50 mins ↑ 4 mins Mobile +1 hour

    *Change in methodology.

    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%).

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    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.

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    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 upward 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 will be an estimated 7.69 billion smartphone subscriptions – just 200 million shy of the current global population.

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    Given these projections and the above data, increased smartphone screen time for the foreseeable future appears almost inevitable.

    Source: GSMA, Ericsson

    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 Mobile App Development Trends and In-Demand Mobile App Startups.