- Gen Z averages 4 hours on smartphones, baby boomers just over 2 hours.
- Most Americans keep their phones for an average of 2.5 years.
- Over their lifetime, Americans may spend around $200,000 on phone and internet services.
Nearly half of Americans say they are “addicted” to their cell phones, according to the 2026 Cell Phone Usage Stats Report from Reviews.org, a company that looks specifically at internet and cell phone provider services. And by the company’s count, Americans check their phones 186 times a day.
While it’s called the 2026 report, it covers usage for 2025.
Believe it or not, that’s a 9% drop from how many times phones were checked in the average day last year.
More than half of the adults surveyed said they have never gone a full 24 hours without their phone.
“Our relationship with our phones continues a mix between necessary work and utility, entertainment and distraction, and the tension between social connection and isolation,” per the study findings. “Some experts warn that using phones too much can lead to or exacerbate mental and physical health problems, especially in adolescents, while others say the biggest problem with phones is opportunity cost: spending time on our phones means less time spent doing other things.”
For those wondering how their own use compares, the report notes that within 10 minutes of waking up, the vast majority of the U.S. adults (85%) have the small device in hand and 75% of them would be uncomfortable leaving home without it.
Gen Z spends the most time on the smartphone, at 4 hours and 6 minutes, compared to baby boomers who average 2 hours and 8 minutes. Other adults are somewhere in between. As a group, U.S. adult use averages 4 hours a day on the phone.
And that smartphone’s in use by a majority as they watch TV (87%) or eat dinner (56%). Sixty percent say they’ve texted someone in the same room.
Forty percent say they use their phone on a date, while 30% use their phones while driving. Millennials are slightly more likely than the average to say they quickly check notifications, per the report, at 47% vs. the 46% average.
Just over 4 in 10 say they feel panic when their phone battery power drops below 20%.
Generational differences
Screen time isn’t just on cell phones, either. According to the report, baby boomers also average 1 hour and 18 minutes on desktops, 1 hour 44 minutes on laptops, 46 minutes on a tablet and 3 hours and 33 minutes watching TV.
Generation X spends an additional 1 hour 38 minutes on a desktop computer, 2 hours and 10 minutes on a laptop, 51 minutes on a tablet and 3 hours and 12 minutes watching TV.
Millennials spend 2 hours 4 minutes on a desktop, 2 hours 24 minutes on a laptop, 1 hour and 1 minute on a tablet and 2 hours and 5 minutes watching TV.
Finally, Generation Z, which spends more than 4 hours on a smartphone, also spends 2 hours 4 minutes on a desktop, 2 hours 33 minutes on a laptop, 1 hour 34 minutes on a tablet and 2 hours and 55 minutes watching television.
When do we upgrade our phones
Americans don’t typically change phones every year, despite what ads would have folks believe. Americans keep their phones an average of 2.5 years, though by about 16 months they start thinking they’d like to upgrade.
Most want to upgrade for faster performance (22%) or because they have a problem with their battery (18%). Just 13% do so for the new features. Per the report, “Only about 8% say getting the newest model is their main reason, and around 6% upgrade primarily because of trade-in or contract deals. Americans pay about $634 on average for a phone, and 47% pay that upfront, so more frequent upgrades end up becoming costly considerations.”
When it analyzed the survey findings, Reviews.org figured that “Americans may spend upwards of $200,000″ in their lifetime on a combination of phones, internet and streaming services.
The survey included 1,000 US adults and there’s a ±4% margin of error. “Results were weighted by age, gender and census region,” per Reviews.org. It was conducted in the fourth quarter of 2025.