Gallup: 58% of Americans Say They Use Smartphone ‘Too Much’

A recent Gallup poll has revealed that 58 percent of U.S. adults believe that they use their smartphones “too much.” Every age group in the survey has increased concerns about the time they devote to their phones, whether it is for work, streaming video, or games.

A recently released Gallup poll reveals that 58 percent of U.S. adults believe they’re using their smartphones “too much,” a big increase from just 39 percent in 2015. All age groups have become more likely to express concern over their phone use times.

The poll reveals that it is not just younger adults worried about their phone usage, but those across many age brackets:

This sentiment was strongly age-contingent in 2015 and remains so now; however, all age groups have become more likely to express this concern. Also, this belief is pervasive not only among 20-somethings; smartphone users aged 30 to 49 (74%) are nearly as likely as those 18 to 29 (81%) to say they are on their phone too much. This contrasts with 47% of those 50 to 64 and 30% of those 65 and older.

As in 2015, there is little difference by gender in whether adults think they overuse their smartphone, with 60% of women and 56% of men now saying this.

The latest findings come from a self-administered web survey of over 30,000 U.S. adults conducted between January and February of 2022. Of those that participated in the poll, 97 percent stated that they own a smartphone, an increase from 81 percent in the 2015 survey.

Although many adults believe they use their smartphone too much, almost two-thirds state that they think their smartphone has improved their life. 21 percent said it has made their life “a lot” better and 44 percent “a little” better. This is a decline from 72 percent seeing a net benefit in 2015.

12 percent say that smartphones have made their life worse to a degree, double the rate from 2015. Other key facts from the poll include:

• Half of Americans agree with the statement, “I can’t imagine my life without my smartphone,” essentially unchanged from 47% seven years ago.
• The percentage saying they would feel anxious if they lost their phone for a day — a potential marker of smartphone addiction — has held steady at 44% today versus 42% in 2015.
• Just over eight in 10 adults (83%), similar to the rate in 2015 (82%), say they keep their smartphone near them almost all the time during their waking hours.

Read the full Gallup poll here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com