Americans Have Spent Nearly Three Months on Their Phones in 2020

Lifestyle

Lily Wachtor

Let’s face it: people are addicted to their phones. Quarantine has exacerbated our phone habits even further—an ugly truth revealed by our phones’ weekly screen reports. 

To see for ourselves just how addicted we are, the team at Viasat Savings surveyed 1,000 Americans on their smartphone use. We asked them to estimate how much time they think they kill on their phones by day and week, then had them compare that to their weekly screen reports. We also surveyed respondents on what they do while they’re glued to their screens.

We got answers—and the stats are just as wild as you’d imagine. Unsurprisingly, younger generations—the generations that grew up on smartphones—are more tethered to their phones  than boomers (the generation that was born before cellphones were even a thing).

People were spot on when it came to guessing how much time they spent, but the most jaw-dropping finding was the amount of time people spend entertaining themselves on their phones each year. So far in 2020, people have already spent the equivalent of three months—25% of the year. 

How’s that for killing time?

How Do People Feel about Their Smartphone Habits?

  • 72% of respondents feel as though they spend too much time on their phones.
  • 65% feel anxious without their phones. 
  • When asked what respondents would give up for smartphones, 26% said makeup, 24% cited video games, and 21% said fitness workouts.
  • Health & fitness, creativity, and productivity apps are the least popular among all age groups.
  • Respondents spend the least amount of time on their phones on Fridays and the most amount of time on Saturdays.
  • Slack is the most popular app among 25–28-year-olds. 

Methodology

The team at Viasat Savings surveyed 1,000 people to see how much time they spend on their phones in one week. We included questions in the survey about what they do while they’re on their phone each day, broken down by app, and if their general wellbeing was affected by their phone use each day. We asked respondents to share data on their Screen Time reports (iPhone) and Digital Wellbeing reports (Android).

Questions?

For graphics, a media kit, and more, please send us an email at media@viasatsavings.com and we’ll try to respond at our earliest convenience.