Executive PA Media Editor Corné Theron investigates why addressing phone addiction should be your priority this year.
By the time you read this, most of our New Year’s resolutions we committed to have fallen by the wayside. When the clock struck 12 on December 31, most of us solemnly pledged to improve this, stop that, start so and so. Thinking of a New Year’s resolution is the easy part. Keeping it up with it, is where the proverbial sh*t hits the fan.
As an executive assistant, a phone – specifically a mobile phone – is an indispensable tool for success in a fast-paced world. Decision-making is quick and results quicker.
Current state of affairs
Phone addiction is reaching the ranks of alcohol addiction and smoking, some would say. In 2023, report author Saqib Nawaz, from Melbourne’s Swinburne University in Victoria, called for phone addiction to be recognised as a disorder.
His research found that understanding problematic phone dependence should start with defining it, exploring interventions and “untangling the intricate relationship between individuals, society and evolving technology”.
Reconsidering your relationship with tech should be a priority, especially if you do a screen time audit of your consumption that exceeds six or seven hours. You might be astonished.
Phone addiction in numbers
According to reviews.org.au, the average Aussie spends 5.67 hours on their phone daily, up from five and a half hours the previous year. Unsurprisingly, with almost unlimited data availability and an app for everything you can think of, our whole world is in the palm of our hand. TikTok, Banking, Facebook, Emails, Instagram and Netflix are all intertwined in the little miracle we carry around. With.Us.Everywhere.
In 2022, daily usage trends showed that the average Aussie was on track to spend nearly 17.25 years across their lifetime.
Research in 2022 also showed that:
- The average Aussie also checks their phone on average 7.8 times an hour, or every eight minutes.
- The most popular apps are Facebook (28%), TikTok (17%) and Instagram (15%).
- Just over half of Aussies (50.65%) consider themselves addicted to their phones.
- 48% experience anxiety if they leave their phone at home and 75% sleep with their phone next to them.
- Almost 80% of people check their phone within 10 minutes of waking up.
- About 60% check their phone when on the toilet and 64% while streaming a movie or TV show.
- Scarily, 19% say they check their phone while driving.
- Interestingly, 55% have texted someone in the same room as them, and 47% say they feel anxious if their phone battery drops below 20%.
A study conducted by Nutrisystem on 200 respondents reports that one in three can’t eat a meal without being on their phone, and a further 35% between the ages of 18 and 25 need to have their phone for every meal. It is also no surprise that GenZ, aka the TikTok generation, has the highest smartphone addiction rate, with a daily use of 6 hours and 37 minutes.
The after-effects are not pretty
In the US, Addiction Help lists the following as adverse effects of phone overusing:
- Social interactions: 70% of participants in one study reported that their phone usage interfered with their relationships. A study linked parental cell phone use and a general lack of mindfulness while using a phone in children’s presence to lower emotional intelligence.
- Ailments: Cognitive impairments, not sleeping well, and mental health issues like depression and anxiety.
- Nomophobia: A fear of being without a phone or its services. Its prevalence varies widely, from 6 to 73% across various populations.
- After-effects: Feelings of a loss of control, intense desire to use the phone, neglect of other responsibilities, withdrawal when not using the phone.
- Brain effects: Increase in dopamine (a feel-good chemical).
- Physical health: Eye strain, neck pain (“text neck”), reduced physical activity, weight gain, “trigger thumb” (yes, the thumb gets stuck in a bent position, believe it or not).
- Mental health: Fear of missing out (“FOMO”) and loneliness.
- Risky behaviour: using a phone while driving is the most significant cause of distracted driving.
What can we do about it?
Let’s face it. Now is not the time for drastic behaviour. We NEED our phones, but we NEED to manage it better.
Australia’s 7 Network Sunrise host, Edwina Bartholomew, confessed to being a phone addict and is taking steps to fix it this year. “It’s time to come clean,” she said. Her expert tip is using ‘Downtime’ on her iPhone (Go to settings, Screen Time and set your scheduled phone switch-off period.)
GQ Magazine Australia offers 10 expert tips to reset bad screen habits in 2025:
Move your phone to the other side (or out) of your bedroom
If it’s not next to you, you might access it less, because getting out of bed is hard work.
Don’t carry it around all the time either
Block out occasions, like during meals, when you leave your phone elsewhere or charge it in a different room during these times.
Put a sock in your notifications
Access the app settings on your phone and be selective about which ones you want push notifications from.
Pete Etchells, professor of psychology and science communication at Bath Spa University, and the author of Unlocked: The Real Science of Screen Time, only has WhatsApp notifications turned on, so he can stay in touch with family. You’ve got to think “about what’s important to you, what isn’t important to you”, he says, and make sure your “digital tech diet” isn’t overwhelming.
Get off (some) social media platforms
You’ll probably want to be on a few social media platforms for work and for fun, but it might be true that you’re probably on more than is necessary.
Change your phone’s screen colour
Strange strategy, but it’s worth a try. Most smartphones have a greyscale feature, which turns the screen black and white, making it less attractive. Another common smartphone feature is night shift mode, where blue light is filtered out of your display to help you get to sleep.
Do an algorithm cleanse
A step that’s a bit less drastic than a full digital detox is to do an “algorithm cleanse”, where you avoid specific platforms altogether. Apps like TikTok and Spotify continuously cram your feeds with selected content.
Be mindful (as always)
Being mindful and reflective about how you use your phone is to realise when you’re going down the rabbit hole and scrolling mindlessly just for the sake of it. Then you (should) know, it’s time to switch off.
Narrate your phone usage- perhaps silly?
You’ll probably feel silly doing this, but narrating your actions step by step brings home a message of accountability and awareness.
Start small – baby steps
Adapting to little changes might be easier than making Big Kahuna changes. Small tweaks you can stick to are much better than significant changes that are just unobtainable.
Don’t feel guilty
The modern conversation around digital technology often results in “a sense of guilt or shame”. Don’t feel like you need to give up tech completely, just be aware of when it changes from a fun activity into a compulsion.
Let’s get honest and make a change.
Say after me: “My name is (insert name and surname here) and I’m a phone addict.
Also read: The new frontier in workplace productivity | Executive PA Media