Can you pass this 2 minute phone test? 70% of Americans can't
Smartphone addiction is serious, and a new study shows that users need a hit from their phone when they first awaken each morning.
People use their smartphones before doing anything else after awakening. | Image by Apple
Americans love their smartphones. They love them so much that according to the analysis published by the team behind the Jolt Screen Time Control app, on average, Americans unlock their phones only 47 seconds after they wake up in the morning. In addition, 31% of Americans check their phones when getting up in the morning before speaking to their partner or the family. Jolt's recently released study for 2026 says that how people use their phones in the morning is now an automatic behavior and is not a conscious choice.
This is how long the average person uses his phone every day
Considering that 20% of smartphone users that were part of Jolt's study said that they scroll with one eye shut when they first wake up, it's clear that for many, their daily smartphone usage begins before they are fully awake and alert. Ankur Solanki, the founder of the Jolt app, said, "Morning phone use may feel small in the moment, but across a year it adds up to
weeks of time lost before the day has even started. Solanki says that the average person spends 5 hours and 37 minutes per day on their smartphone. This means that on average, the typical person spends 23.4% of each day on their phone.
weeks of time lost before the day has even started. Solanki says that the average person spends 5 hours and 37 minutes per day on their smartphone. This means that on average, the typical person spends 23.4% of each day on their phone.
Nearly 70% of smartphone users can't follow their own app limits when they first get up. | Image by Jolt
Here's an interesting test to see whether you can resist the call of your phone in the morning. 74% of smartphone users told Jolt that they would prefer "calmer, screen-free mornings." Despite this, 68% of those who set their own limits on app usage in the morning overrode their own restrictions within two minutes of getting up in the morning.
Try this phone test at home and see if you can last for two minutes
Try this yourself. Set some rules that limit the number of apps you open when you awaken. Can you follow your own self-created app limit? Nearly 7 out of 10 fail this test within the first two minutes of waking. Additionally, the average time between the morning wake-up alarm and the first phone unlock of the day is only 47 seconds. Needless to say, most smartphone users feel compelled to check their phones first thing in the morning. 52% of Americans will check their phones while lying in bed.
Americans on average spend 14 minutes scrolling on their phones during the first hour of every day. That means during an entire year you have spent more than 85 hours scrolling during the first hour. Another way to look at that stat is that every year you've lost two working weeks to scrolling before 9 am. Jolt's report sums up this morning smartphone use in the U.S. with this sentence: "Phones now shape the first moments of the day; before conversation, before routine, and often before people are fully awake."
Jolt says that the analysis is based on:
- App behavior data from more than 10,000 users.
- Time-to-unlock tracking from alarm trigger to first screen interaction.
The app, which you can install for your iPhone from the App Store by tapping on this link, is also available for Android-powered handsets. Press on this link to install the app from the Google Play Store. The app claims to be able to reduce your screen time by up to 73% within the first month.
I get a pass because of my job
Personally, being the smartphone enthusiast I am, my phone (usually my Pixel 6 Pro) is with me at all times of the day. I don't feel like this has taken a toll on me in any way although I do think that I might feel isolated and a little strange if I had my phone taken away from me. I am guilty of using my phone while lying in bed and within the first few mnutes of getting up in the morning, I've already opened several apps.
Americans usually unlock their phones before saying a word in the morning. | Image by Jolt
Some of this can be related to my job, and that is not an excuse. What about you? You can tell me your morning phone schedule by dropping a comment in the box below.
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