Despite it not being an official condition, it’s common to worry about phone addiction. A recent survey found that 70% of people think they spend too much time on their phones.

It is an issue, so it’s important to know how to stop using your phone so much, what a healthy relationship with your phone looks like and why it matters.

 

Why People Are More Dependent On Their Phone

Smartphones have increasingly become a major part of our lives, with the equivalent of over 100% of people using them in the UK at the start of 2025. This is due to multiple connections, such as personal and work phones.

Technology has helped us connect to the world and manage our lives on a single device. However, people begin to use them without any particular reason, which is when a habit can become an addiction.

People develop a smartphone addiction because it can be difficult to disconnect. This can be down to:

  • Social media
  • Endless notifications
  • Boredom
  • Work expectations
  • Entertainment

Many struggle to cut down on their smartphone use because apps are designed for repeated engagement, wanting you to spend more and more time on them.

You may think that severe change is needed to reduce screen time when, in fact, small lifestyle tweaks can have a meaningful impact.

 

Why Reducing Screen Time Matters

Excessive phone use can lead to:

  • Concentration – Research has found that smartphones impact concentration, wiring your brain to expect fast and regular rewards.
  • Productivity – Phones can draw away your attention, leading you to be less effective with other tasks.
  • Sleep quality – Blue light affects your circadian rhythm, tricking your body into staying alert and making it harder to sleep.
  • Anxiety – Reaction to stressful news, the pressure to be connected to others and comparing yourself to others online will lead to increased anxiety.
  • Relationships – Less time for real-life relationships causes them to suffer.
  • Physical health (posture, eye strain) – Being hunched over and looking at screens will damage your back and eyes over time.

Spending a lot of time on your phone doesn’t mean you are addicted. What matters is that you find balance with your phone use, as these devices are integral to modern life.

 

Implement Ways to Spend Less Time on Your Phone

When it comes to strategies, it’s all about gradual change.

 

Track Your Current Screen Time

Monitoring your use creates awareness of the issue, giving you stark numbers to demonstrate the extent of the problem. Smartphones have built-in screen time features that make it easy to track your phone use.

With this, you can also identify which apps are taking up most of your time and work on reducing your time on them.

Turn Off Non-Essential Notifications

Notifications exist to interrupt your life and pull you to an app, and can stop you from doing more important tasks.

Alerts on your phone can still be important, though, so allow only essential calls and messages to ensure you don’t miss anything vitally important.

Schedule Phone-Free Times

Creating phone-free times will show you that you can survive without it. Start small, and then you can build up to having entire phone-free days.

To start, attempt phone-free periods in these situations:

  • During meals
  • Before bed
  • While exercising
  • During conversations
  • The first hour after waking

Keep Your Phone Out of Reach

If you increase the psychological distance of the activity, meaning that you reduce the automatic activation of the desire. By putting the phone out of reach, the act of picking it up and looking at it is not automatic. Instead, you have to make a conscious effort to go and check it, lessening its being a distraction.

Replace Scrolling with Other Activities

You need to replace habits instead of removing them to keep busy. Activities include:

  • Reading
  • Walking
  • Personal Hobbies
  • Exercise
  • Meditation
  • Socialising

Remove Unnecessary Apps

People stay on their phones because of endless options in apps. Delete or hide the most distracting apps. If you really need to use an app, access it through the browser as a compromise.

Set Daily App Limits

Most phones have app timers and digital wellbeing settings to help you reduce your time on certain apps. You can set limits that will lock you out after a certain time spent on an app.

At first, set realistic targets so that you don’t just get fed up and turn app limits off.

 

Signs Your Phone Use Might Be Unhealthy

Problematic smartphone use is a form of behavioural addiction, meaning that you compulsively engage in an activity. If you know the phone addiction signs, you can make positive changes before the problems worsen.

Signs of Unhealthy Phone Use:

  • Inability to stop checking the phone
  • Phone separation anxiety
  • Neglecting responsibilities
  • Interrupted sleep
  • Lapse in productivity
  • Withdrawing from real-world interactions
  • Using your phone to avoid uncomfortable emotions

These symptoms should be viewed in the broader context of your life. Each sign isn’t in itself a diagnosis; instead, look for changes in behaviour.

 

Common Mistakes People Make When Trying to Reduce Screen Time

Many people know that their phone use is damaging, try to stop, and end up relapsing quickly.

This might happen to you, but don’t panic! Here are some common mistakes to avoid.

  • Trying to quit completely overnight – It’s hard for your brain to go from 100 to 0 in one night. Ingrained habits take longer to change, and you’ll likely fail, giving you less motivation to keep trying.
  • Relying on willpower alone – Some can change their habits through sheer force of will. Most can’t. You need to go into this prepared so that the changes you make are more sustainable.
  • Failing to replace old habits – If you give up your smartphone, that means you have a lot of free time. If you don’t replace it, then you’ll be sitting around thinking about your phone and most likely relapse.
  • Ignoring triggers – Things in your life will set you off and have you reaching for your phone or device. Knowing them and figuring out ways to cope is vital to reducing screen time; ignoring them means they are much more likely to cause you to relapse.
  • Setting unrealistic goals – Whilst being ambitious is admirable, it sets you up for failure. Unrealistic goals usually mean you fall short, which can only cause frustration and then backsliding.

 

Building Long-Term Healthy Phone Habits

It won’t help to be harsh on yourself. Think of it as creating routines that you can more easily follow, rather than living your life with strict rules that give you no fulfilment. If you set it up in this way, you can give yourself realistic goals to hit that you can celebrate.

With this set-up, you have a better chance at hitting your goals and celebrating them, giving you more motivation to keep going.

In this day and age, you can’t cut out technology completely. Instead, you need to prioritise getting to a place where technology is supporting your life, rather than dominating it.

 

Learn More About Smartphone Addiction

People do spend too much time on their phones. Making changes will lead to longer-lasting changes in behaviour.

If you are experiencing significant distress or compulsive behaviours, support is available. We at Ocean Recovery have years of expertise in behavioural addiction and mental health support. Get in touch now for confidential guidance.

John Gillen - Director at Ocean Recovery

John Gillen - Author - Last updated: July 28, 2026

John is one UK’s leading professionals in the addiction recovery industry. Pioneering new treatment techniques such as NAD+ and ongoing research into new therapy techniques such as systematic laser therapy, John is committed to providing the very best treatment for people throughout the UK and Europe. During his extremely busy schedule, John likes to regularly update our blog section with the latest news and trends in the industry to keep visitors to our site as well informed as possible on everything related to addiction treatment.