America's Growing Smartphone Addiction

Ever since the first iPhone arrived in 2007, smartphones have gradually taken over our lives. We use them to listen to music, take photos, follow the news and sometimes even to make phone calls. They have become a constant presence in both our professional and our personal lives.

According to a recent Gallup report, 81 percent of American smartphone owners keep their device with them nearly all the time and they don’t just carry it around. 72 percent of the respondents claim to check their smartphone at least once an hour, most of them several times. Especially young Americans can hardly keep their eyes away from their phone screen. 22 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds glimpse at their phone every few minutes and another 51 percent do so several times an hour.

Interestingly, most smartphone users don’t seem to consider their device usage excessive. 61 percent of the respondents claim to use their own device less frequently than the people around them - a misperception that is not entirely unlike addict behavior.