Introduction

Executive summary

U.S. Millennials are highly attached to their smartphones

Seventy-four percent (74%) use their smartphone within minutes of waking up, and 80% use it after going to bed. Nearly 70% cannot go without their smartphone for more than half a day. Almost ⅓ check it every 10 minutes.

Millennials who sleep with their smartphones are more attached to them

Seventy-one percent (71%) of those who sleep with their smartphone check it at least once every 15 minutes, compared to only 46% of those who sleep without it. Fifty-one percent (51%) of the former check social media at least once every 15 minutes compared to 25% of the latter. And ⅓ of those who sleep with their smartphones feel they cannot be without their device at all.

Social media largely drives smartphone attachment among Millennials

Seventy-five percent (75%) of respondents indicated that social media was the main driver of their smartphone attachment. They are spending a considerable amount of time each day on social media, with respondents spending a median time of 2 ½ hours.

Millennials experience a mix of positive and negative emotions from using social media

On a scale of 0-100, respondents rated the magnitude of positive emotions at 56, and the magnitude of negative emotions at 46. Using social media can also generate feelings of embarrassment, with 28% having removed a post after it received insufficient attention, and another 25% having considered removing one.

Millennials don’t always follow common standards of smartphone etiquette

Although 80% of respondents put their smartphone away during face-to-face conversations, 67% reported having used their smartphones at a moment others would consider inappropriate.

The notifications that smartphones push out stress Millennials

Thirty-eight percent (38%) of respondents feel overwhelmed by notifications one or more times a day. Millennials can feel overwhelmed by notifications because they believe that others expect an immediate response--64% of respondents said it’s stressful when people expect them to respond immediately.

Millennials feel the need to reduce their smartphone use

Forty-two percent (42%) of respondents feel they need a break from their smartphone one or more times a day. Another 68% feel it’s important to set boundaries on how often they use their smartphone.

Millennials are repeatedly trying to reduce their smartphone use

Seventy-two percent (72%) said they had tried in the past to reduce their smartphone use, and 47% say they currently are trying to reduce their smartphone use. Looking forward, 60% said they want to reduce their smartphone use in the future.

Millennials see their smartphone overuse as a generational problem

Eighty-one percent (81%) agree that their generation has a problem with smartphone overuse, and 77% agree their generation has a problem with social media overuse. When asked to rate the magnitude of their concern for the impact of social media on future generations on a scale of 0-100, the average level of concern was 71.