A survey of more than 6,000 adults in the United Kingdom found that more than one-third spend a large amount of time on their phones daily [1, 2].
The findings highlight a growing gap between how much time people believe they spend on their devices and their actual usage patterns. This discrepancy suggests that many users engage in "mindless scrolling" without a clear purpose or awareness of the time passing.
Virgin Media O2 commissioned the research to examine the habits of mobile users across the country [1, 2]. The data indicates that a substantial portion of the population is spending significant hours each day interacting with their screens, often without realizing why they opened the device in the first place.
While the survey identifies a trend of high usage, it does not specify the exact number of hours spent per person. Instead, it emphasizes the proportion of the population that falls into the high-usage category [1].
The study comes as public discussion regarding digital wellbeing and screen time continues to grow in the UK. By quantifying these habits, the research aims to bring awareness to the subconscious nature of smartphone dependency [2].
“More than one-third of participants spend a large amount of time on their phones each day.”
This data underscores the prevalence of habitual technology use in the UK, where the act of scrolling has become a default activity rather than a goal-oriented task. As telecommunications companies like Virgin Media O2 track these behaviors, the results may influence future developments in digital wellbeing tools designed to help users regulate their screen time.
