When it comes to cellphones and this generation, there’s no denying that the obsession is real. However, actually seeing in number form just how consumed we really are with our iPhones and Androids is a whole new level of alarming.
To say we’re attached is officially an understatement, and to think about all of the things we could be doing with our time if we just put our phones down is both overwhelming and unimaginable.
Get this: The average user checks their cellphone 110 times throughout the day, which translates into spending 3.6 hours on their cellphone each day. That means we spend over an entire day (25.2 hours to be exact) each week on our phones.
Clearly, we’ve become so reliant on our cellphones that we literally can’t do sh*t without them… and that includes taking one. 40% of users even check their cellphones while on the toilet — keep that in mind next time you’re texting someone. #Visuals
Still, there are much worse settings where we’re guilty of refusing to put our cellphones down other than the bathroom — our cars being among the most problematic.
In America, 26% of the nation’s car accidents are caused by the use of cellphones, with 75% of all cellphone users admitting to texting while driving at least once — but let’s be real: it definitely occurs way more often.
Although we would all hopefully agree that no text is worth getting in a car accident over, in the moment we never think of the consequences because we’re too concentrated on our constant need to stay connected.
Our main focus is our cellphones, not what’s going on around us in the current moment — not the road we’re driving on, not even the person we’re f**king.
1 in 5 people between the ages of 18-34 have used their cellphones during sex; 1 in 3 would rather give up sex than give up their phone.
Even while asleep, we just can’t seem to separate ourselves from our cellphones — 61% of users regularly sleep with their cellphones turned on next to their bed, or even under their pillow.
Cellphones have become our security blanket with 50% of users admitting they “feel uncomfortable” without it, and 40% admitting they would experience a “great deal of anxiety” if they were forced to part ways with their phones for a week.
But, just why are we so attached to our cellphones? Because we’re convinced that our “whole lives” are on there.
From having all of our friends’ numbers stored in our address books, to all of our social media apps just a click away, and all of our photos available for viewing at anytime, we’ve become so accustomed to having essentially “everything” right at our fingertips.
Without our cellphones, we would have to go about communicating in a different way. We would feel “out of the loop,” because not only would we miss out on the hilarious joke that was said in the group chat, but we’d be the 1 in 61.7 million that didn’t catch the photo that Kylie Jenner just posted to Instagram.
The problem is, we’re so focused on keeping up-to-date on what other people are doing, that we almost forget to live our own lives.
We spend over 24 hours a week scrolling through our cellphones, yet when it comes to doing things we really want to, most of us never get around to them, using the excuse that we “don’t have enough time.”
While I’m as guilty as anyone else when it comes to living on my phone, I think it’s important that we all try to build a life outside of it. Not only am I going to challenge myself to be more conscious of my time and how I spend it, but I challenge all of you too!
Are you down to lay down the phone and start living life?
(Images: Giphy, Tumblr)
