How the score works
The score combines two signals. Daily hours, weighted gently because hours alone don't tell you much. And eight behaviors that the research uses as markers of problematic smartphone use. The behaviors carry more weight than the hours.
How to read your score
- 0–9. Healthy. Use looks roughly normal. Worth taking again in a few months to watch the direction.
- 10–19. Mild. Some patterns showing up. Low-effort changes (phone out of the bedroom, app limits, grayscale) usually move the needle here.
- 20–29. Moderate. Use is starting to cost something. The behavior is doing real work for you that you'll want to replace, not just remove.
- 30–40. Significant. Patterns consistent with problematic smartphone use in the research. Worth a structured plan and, for many people, professional support.
What actually works
The interventions with the most evidence, in rough order of leverage:
- Phone out of the bedroom. The single highest-leverage move for almost everyone. Buy a $10 alarm clock.
- App limits on the two or three you actually use. Not all apps. The ones that eat the time.
- Grayscale mode. The color is part of the pull. Removing it reduces the appeal more than it should.
- A specific replacement for the moments you usually pick it up. Boredom in a line, the morning bathroom trip, the wind-down before sleep. Each of these is a separate decision.
- One "no phone" hour a day. Same hour every day. Build the muscle.
Removing the easy paths beats willpower every time.
When the phone is a symptom, not the problem
For many people, the phone is the delivery mechanism for something else. Compulsive scrolling regulates anxiety. Late-night use regulates loneliness. Reaching for the phone every time you have an unstructured minute regulates boredom. The behavior changes the feeling, and the phone is just the closest delivery device.
If you suspect the phone is a symptom of something else, the impulsive vs compulsive check tells you which system is doing the work, and the attachment style quiz covers another common driver. If pornography is part of the picture, the porn addiction test is the right tool for that piece. And once you want to start tracking the day-to-day pattern itself, the daily recovery log is sixty seconds a day.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours on a phone is too much?
There is no single cutoff. Most published studies use four hours or more of recreational use per day as one signal of problematic use, but hours alone don't tell the story. What matters more is whether your use is interfering with sleep, work, relationships, and your own goals.
Is phone addiction a real thing?
The DSM-5 does not list phone addiction. The research literature uses "problematic smartphone use" or "smartphone addiction" and treats it as a behavioral pattern with measurable consequences. The patterns are real, well-studied, and respond to specific interventions.
How do I cut down on phone use?
Phone out of the bedroom at night, app limits on the two or three you use most, grayscale mode, a specific replacement for the moments you usually pick it up. Removing the easy paths beats willpower.
Will my answers be saved or shared?
No. The audit runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server.
Reviewed by the Chosen Recovery team. Last reviewed May 11, 2026.
Sources. Kwon, M., Lee, J. Y., et al. (2013). The Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS). | Lin, Y. H., Chiang, C. L., et al. (2016). Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS). | Sohn, S. Y., Rees, P., et al. (2019). Problematic smartphone use prevalence and risk factors (meta-analysis).
This audit is for personal reflection only and is not a clinical diagnosis.