From waking up to screens to aimless scrolling, how smartphones alter our sleep, eating patterns

In the era of artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet, smartphones have become an inseparable part of our lives. The device once used for communication is now shaping our morning rituals, affecting our habits, sleep and eating patterns. 

We have become so habitual in checking our phones that 50% of the time we have no clue why we are picking up the phone. Moreover, our panic mode is activated after our phone’s battery goes below the 20% mark. 

A report published on Smartphone Usage Patterns and Dietary Risk Factors in Adolescents found that prolonged smartphone use has led to a higher prevalence of frequent breakfast skipping, frequent intake of instant noodles, and less consumption of fruits.

According to another latest report, titled 'Reimagining Smartphones Experience', it was found that the extent of mobile phone usage has increased so much that most of us wake up to our smartphone screens in the morning and spend our first 15 minutes on it. The report sheds light on the drastic change in the pattern of using smartphones. Here are some interesting insights from the report.

Mindless scrolling

In the study conducted by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), it was found that on average, users check their phones 81 times a day, with most of them spending 31% of their waking time checking their smartphones. 

5 hours of mobile use in a day 

There has been a phenomenal increase in the average time spent on mobile phones in a day over the decade. In the last 13 years, the average time spent on using phones has increased from 2 hours in 2010 to 4.9 hours in 2023, highlighted the report. The rising number of applications present on phones, the sale of smartphones, and wider internet penetration are the major contributors to mobile usage. 

Content streaming is the king

Users spend a large chunk of their time with their phones while streaming content. According to the study, streaming content occupies 50% of the share of time spent. Witnessing a steep increase in time spent from around 2 hours to 4.9 hours, smartphones have truly expanded their role in our daily activities.1 Streaming content is the predominant use case today, occupying 50% of the share of time spent. Activities like gaming and shopping consist of 5-8% of the total time spent on the phone. Whereas, streaming in long-form consists of 25-29% of the total portion of time spent on smartphones.

The research insights were based on the analysis of the smartphone usage data of more than 1,100 consumers for one month. The sample composition for the analysis of this study was determined based on age, gender, income, zone, and city tier.

The report titled 'Reimagining Smartphones Experience', also provides insight on the potential of AI powered ‘Surfaces’ in driving interaction between users and apps manifesting as a rich, dynamic screen right from the start of a user's phone journey. A large number of innovators like Glance for Android and Apple for iOS have already begun leveraging 'Surfaces' to streamline user experiences, with features like Uber's integration of ride-tracking directly onto lock screens exemplifying the possibilities.