Smartphone Compulsion Test

Try taking the Smartphone Compulsion Test, developed by Dr. David Greenfield, founder of the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction and psychiatry professor at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.

Just circle the questions that apply to you. 

1. Do you find yourself spending more time on your mobile or smartphone than you realise? 2. Do you find yourself mindlessly passing time on a regular basis by staring at your mobile or smartphone? 

3. Do you seem to lose track of time when on your mobile or smartphone? 

4. Do you find yourself spending more time texting, tweeting, or emailing as opposed to talking to people in person? 

5. Has the amount of time you spend on your mobile or smartphone been increasing? 

6. Do you wish you could be a little less involved with your phone? 

7. Do you sleep with your mobile or smartphone (turned on) under your pillow or next to your bed regularly? 

8. Do you find yourself viewing and answering texts, tweets, and emails at all hours of the day and night – even if it means interrupting other things you are doing? 

9. Do you text, email, tweet, Snapchat, Facebook message, or surf while driving or doing other similar activities that require your focused attention and concentration? 

10. Do you feel your use of your mobile or smartphone decreases your productivity at times? 

11. Do you feel reluctant to be without your mobile or smartphone, even for a short time?

12. Do you feel ill at ease or uncomfortable when you accidentally leave your smartphone in the car or at home, have no service, or have a broken phone? 

13. When you eat meals, is your mobile or smartphone always part of the table place setting? 

14. When your mobile or smartphone rings, beeps, or buzzes, do you feel an intense urge to check for texts, tweets, emails, updates, and so on? 

15. Do you find yourself mindlessly checking your mobile or smartphone many times a day, even when you know it is unlikely there is anything new or important to see? 

Here’s how Greenfield interprets people’s scores: 

1–2: Your behaviour is normal but that doesn’t mean you should live on your smartphone.

3–4: Your behaviour is leaning toward problematic or compulsive use. 

5 or above: It is likely that you may have a problematic or compulsive smartphone use pattern. 

8 or higher: If your score is higher than 8, you might consider seeing a psychologist, psychiatrist, or psychotherapist who specialises in behavioural addictions for a consultation. 

The only way to score below 5 on this test is to not have a smartphone. But the fact that these behaviours and feelings are so universal does not mean that they are harmless or that this test is too dramatic. Instead, it’s an indication that the problem may be bigger