Phone Addiction Quiz

Ten questions worth up to three points each, so a score from 0 to 30, sorted into habitual checking, emotional coping and loss of control. It measures dependency as you describe it rather than hours on a screen. Two minutes, no account, and it is a questionnaire we wrote rather than a clinical test.

Question 1 of 10 0%

Your Score

0 8 15 23 30

0 / 30

This is a self-assessment tool for awareness, not a clinical diagnosis. It is designed to help you reflect on your habits.

Behavior Breakdown

Your responses grouped by behavior pattern.

Your Personalized Next Steps

Based on your highest-scoring behavior patterns.

The Science Behind Phone Dependency

Phone overuse is not a character flaw — it is a predictable response to products engineered around unpredictable rewards. Every notification, every like, and every infinite scroll is designed so that checking sometimes pays off, and a reward that only sometimes arrives is the kind that keeps you checking.

Over time the checking becomes a habit that runs without a decision. Whether that amounts to an addiction is disputed among researchers. What is not disputed is that a habit built by repetition in one setting can be changed by changing the setting — the cues, the friction, where the phone sits.

Understanding this is not about guilt. It is about recognizing that the game is rigged, and choosing to play by your own rules.

Understanding the Score Ranges

0 – 7: Low Dependency

You have a healthy relationship with your phone. You use it as a tool, not a crutch.

8 – 15: Moderate Dependency

You show some signs of habitual phone use. Small changes now can prevent it from escalating.

16 – 22: High Dependency

Your phone habits are significantly impacting your daily life. It is time to take deliberate action.

23 – 30: Compulsive Use

Your relationship with your phone shows patterns of compulsive behavior. A structured approach to change is recommended.

How the score is worked out

Ten questions, each option worth 0 to 3 points, so the total runs from 0 to 30 and the gauge is simply that total over 30. The four bands are 0 to 7, 8 to 15, 16 to 22, and 23 to 30. Those edges are ours: they were not validated against anything, no published instrument uses them, and a score sitting one point either side of a line means nothing at all.

The ten questions are also grouped into behaviour patterns, each with its own maximum, and the suggestions you get are chosen by where your score falls inside its group's range — under a third, under two thirds, or above. Habitual checking draws on three questions for a maximum of 9; emotional coping and loss of control draw on two each for a maximum of 6. The groups are sorted by score and the highest-scoring ones come first, which is the useful part of the page: what helps a morning-scrolling habit is not what helps reaching for the phone when you feel bad.

What the quiz measures is dependency as described by you, not time on a screen. Someone who uses a phone deliberately for three hours and someone who checks it a hundred times for the same three hours score very differently here, on purpose. It is an unweighted self-report questionnaire we wrote, it is not a diagnosis, and "phone addiction" is not a recognised clinical diagnosis in either the DSM or the ICD.

Where these numbers come from

1. Americans Check Their Phones 96 Times a Day — Asurion press release, November 2019 (survey of 1,998 US smartphone users by Solidea Solutions, August 2019)
2. Can Disordered Mobile Phone Use Be Considered a Behavioral Addiction? An Update on Current Evidence and a Comprehensive Model for Future Research — Billieux J, Maurage P, Lopez-Fernandez O, Kuss DJ, Griffiths MD, Current Addiction Reports 2:156–162, 2015

Nothing on this site is medically reviewed. Every figure above was read out of the code that runs on this page, and where a number is our own judgement rather than a published one, the note says so and cites nothing. Method last checked 25 September 2026.

Dependency, not screen time

Your phone is designed to hold your attention. This isn't a conspiracy theory — it's a business model. Every notification, every infinite scroll, every autoplay video is engineered to keep you engaged as long as possible.

A 2019 survey of about 2,000 US smartphone users, commissioned by the phone insurer Asurion, put the average at 96 checks a day — roughly once every ten minutes awake. Most of those checks are automatic, made without a reason, and that is the pattern this quiz looks for.

This quiz doesn't measure screen time — it measures dependency. There's a meaningful difference between someone who uses their phone intentionally for 3 hours and someone who compulsively checks it 100 times for a total of 3 hours. The first is using a tool; the second is being used by one.

Understanding where you fall on the dependency spectrum is the first step toward a healthier relationship with technology. Not everyone needs a digital detox, but almost everyone benefits from more intentional usage. This quiz helps you see your patterns clearly, without judgment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is phone addiction?

Phone addiction (or problematic smartphone use) is characterized by compulsive use that interferes with daily life. Key indicators include using your phone as the first and last thing each day, feeling anxious without it, checking it without notifications, and failed attempts to reduce usage.

How is this quiz different from other screen time tools?

This quiz focuses on behavioral dependency patterns rather than raw screen time. Someone who uses their phone 3 hours for productive purposes has a different relationship than someone who compulsively checks for 3 hours. The quiz evaluates compulsivity, emotional dependence, and life impact.

Is phone addiction a real addiction?

It is not classified as one in the DSM-5. Problematic smartphone use is often described with the features of behavioural addictions — loss of control, unease without the phone, continued use despite harm — but researchers disagree about whether the label fits, and a 2015 review by Billieux and colleagues argued the evidence for it was thin. This quiz asks about the behaviour and leaves the label alone.

How can I reduce phone dependency?

Start with awareness (this quiz), then try: enabling grayscale mode, removing social media from your home screen, setting app time limits, creating phone-free zones (bedroom, dining table), and replacing phone habits with intentional alternatives.

Replace phone scrolling with intentional habits in Dailies

Dailies helps you build phone-free habits and track your digital wellness with daily streak tracking.