Shall we round it up to 50?
It’s hard to get lost on your phone, largely thanks to TikTok, and new research suggests that Brits scroll through their phones for 46 days per year.
Surveying 1,000 UK adults, Lenstore found that our phone time increased by 46 per cent over lockdown. Described as “doom scrolling”, users end up scrolling for hours, deep in the abyss of brunch pictures and inspirational quotes. In total, it’s believed that Brits spend a total of 46 days a year on their phones.
A further 19 per cent admitted to scrolling for more than five hours a day, and an interesting 6 per cent admitted to spending longer than seven hours.
Unsurprisingly, they also found that Gen-Z are the worst offenders, with 18 per cent admitting to scrolling for between seven and eight hours a day and 7 per cent scrolling for over eight hours. A staggering 82 per cent also claim to be addicted to scrolling.
But that isn’t to say older generations are exempt, as 86 per cent of millennials experience scrolling addiction, and 42 per cent of baby boomers also do.
“When you post an update on social media which receives engagement you are instantly hit with a shot of dopamine,” said Neuro-linguistic programming coach Rebecca Lockwood. “Dopamine is one of the brain’s neurotransmitters which helps send emotional responses to the body and see rewards.”
She added: “The body then takes action towards rewards. When it comes to social media, likes and comments are the ‘rewards’ that can become extremely addictive, leaving us endlessly scrolling without even being aware of it.”
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