Technology Addiction Statistics

Feb 14, 2024

Technology addiction is on the rise. It’s so prevalent that it’s now a global problem. The increased use of smartphones and social media made more people dependent on their phones. Technology addiction can impact their emotional, mental, and physical health.

The recent stats from Gitnux are concerning. The average person spends over nine hours a day on their phone. That same study revealed that average people unlock their smartphones 150 times a day.

Seventy-two percent of teenagers and half of adults feel the need to immediately respond to text messages, emails, and social media notifications. Americans check their phones 100 times a day, a 20 percent increase from 2021.

Keep in mind that technology is a broad umbrella term for gambling, gaming, online shopping, social media, texting, and video watching. Technology addiction can come in any form and lead to ADHD, anxiety, depression, and suicidal risks.

General technology addiction statistics

According to the report via Ginux, over 61 percent of the world suffers from internet addiction. Technology addiction refers to both internet addiction and social media addiction. There are differences between the two behavioral addictions.

Internet addiction involves gambling, gaming, news sites, social media apps, streaming services, video games, and online shopping. Social media addiction is related to social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X.

Fifty-two percent of Americans get their news from social media, which causes doom-scrolling or the ability to seek out negative content. This can happen while they’re interacting with someone. Even though 75 percent of Americans check their phone during a conversation, nine out of 10 admitted they would get offended if someone did it to them.

Technology addiction demographics

The technology addiction demographics reveal that 18 to 24-year-olds check their smartphones more than twice the national average. Seventy-two percent of teens and 50 percent of parents feel pressured to respond to emails, texts, social media messages, and other notifications. In addition, 78 percent of teens and 69 percent of parents check their phones on an hourly basis.

Another interesting statistic reveals the difference in technology addiction among low-income and high-income households. Thirty-nine percent of high-income households struggle to take a technology break compared to 30 percent of low-income households.

Smartphone addiction statistics

The smartphone addiction statistics are alarming. Nearly half of Americans are addicted to their smartphones. The average American checks their phone over 300 times per day, according to tech company Asurion. Seventy-one percent of people engage with their phone more than they engage in a conversation with their partner.

This study also found that two-thirds of kids spend four hours or more per day on their phones. Forty-four percent of Americans also admitted that they get anxious when they don’t check their phone.

Smartphone addiction can cause poor thinking and self-control skills. This dangerous behavioral addiction causes over 20 percent of car accidents in the U.S.

Gaming addiction statistics

Back in 2023, over three billion users played video games. Four percent of gamers developed an addiction to video games. Back in 2021, a study found that the global rate of gaming addiction rose to over three percent. Sixty million of those users developed some form of a gaming problem or addiction.

Men are more likely to develop a gaming addiction compared to women. The average age of a gamer is 35 years old. Meanwhile, the average age for gaming addiction to develop is 24 years old, which means it could pose a risk to professional Twitch gamers and live-streamers.

Most gamers are between the ages of 18 and 34 years old. Kids who grew up playing video games can become addicted later in life -- especially if it’s the only activity they take part in. Video game addiction has risen to 4 percent since 2007.

Social media addiction statistics

Social media addiction is also a behavioral addiction, like gaming addiction, technology addiction, and internet addiction. This addiction develops when all you think about is being on social media.

It consumes your life. You might have the urge to check social media. Or, you could devote so much time to it that it impacts the other parts of your life.

You might also have a social media addiction if you experience feelings of anxiety or depression. Psychologists at California State University found that between five to 10 percent of Americans fit the criteria for social media addiction. While social media looks different for everyone, it includes some of the following signs:

Conflicts with family, friends, or strangers
Mood changes
Relapses and goes back to social media habits
Withdrawal symptoms

Social Media Addiction in Young People

Research revealed that teenager’s social media habits are often linked to depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. According to a CNN study that involved 13-year-olds, those who checked their phones upward of 100 times per day were more distressed than those who checked their phones only a few times per day.

Also, those who checked their phones 100 times per day were about 50 percent more distressed than normally. Social media use is on the rise and is still a new concept. Still, teenagers aren’t enjoying their time on these apps. Their addiction played a role in their emotions, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. For example, they checked social media every time they were depressed, even though it worsened their mental health.

Social Media Addiction by Social Media Platforms

There are multiple statistics about social media addiction. It can be confusing to wade through all the information. Social media addiction is prevalent since everyone uses social media, no matter their age, location, or interests. Social media was created to attract everybody.

About 70 percent of teens and young adults are reported to have a social media addiction. The average user spends over an hour a day on a single social media platform. The most frequented platforms are Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok.

Addiction to Social Media by Demographic

Social media is a global problem. Around 59 percent of the world’s population is active on social media. This equates to over 4 billion people who are active on social media. The latest research shows that social media is still on the rise since it’s still considered new to society.

Social media addiction is not recognized as an official diagnosis in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illnesses, 5th edition). Because of this, the exact numbers on addiction to social media are hard to determine. However, data from a 2019 study showed that 32 percent of white users are more addicted than 29 percent of Hispanic users, 27 percent of Asian users, and 25 percent of African American users.

In addition, white Americans are frequent on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Still, there are 85 percent of Hispanic users and 84 percent of Black Americans on YouTube compared to just 79 percent of white Americans.

What’s also interesting about this study is that 35 percent of Black Americans use Pinterest, unlike their white counterparts. Pinterest is a social media service for seeking lifestyle and design inspiration. Pinterest can be addictive when it comes to seeking and sharing visual content, but it’s not a social network that negatively impacts your mental health.

Social Media Addiction Statistics by Gender

The social media addiction statistics by gender via Healthline show that it varies drastically. Forty-four percent of women use X compared to 57 percent of men. LinkedIn is a male-dominated space as well. Forty-three percent of women use the social media site, compared to 56 percent of men.

When it comes to Facebook, there are 43 percent of women compared to 56 percent of men. Instagram is split 50/50 on genders. Over on Snapchat, 54 percent of women use the app compared to 45 percent of men.

Social Media Addiction Treatment & Recovery Statistics

Unfortunately, there are no statistics on recovery and treatment from social media addiction. Evidence has shown that the best forms of treatment for behavioral addictions are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Group Therapy, and Motivational Interview (MI). Each treatment has the same goal in mind: to encourage patients to become more self-aware of their social media addiction and develop healthy strategies and skills.

How many hours of social media use is considered an addiction?

Most mental health experts say that spending over three hours on social media is considered an addiction. This could suggest that the user may have an underlying emotional problem or an issue with social media itself.

Findings from Lululemon’s Global Wellbeing survey reveal that the average user spends over three hours or more scrolling social media. Excessive social media use and doom-scrolling causes them to develop negative thoughts and feel poorly about their life and situation.

What is the percentage of teens that are addicted to social media?

Recent studies have shown that adults and teenagers are prone to social media addiction. Over 40 percent of Americans aged 18 to 22 years old reportedly struggled with social media in some way. In addition, 37 percent of adults aged 23 to 38 admitted to being addicted to social media apps.

Seek Treatment for Technology Addiction

Even though social media use is common among most age groups, there’s still a stigma associated with technology addiction. You can feel as if you’re alone. Most people suffer from poor mental health as a result.

Thankfully, there is hope. Treatment options are available, such as talk therapy, which can help you break free from your technology addiction. Reach out to Birches Health today to get started on your mental health journey.