Phone habits check

What this check is, and what it isn’t

The ten statements are adapted from a questionnaire researchers wrote about smartphone use; the source is listed under the check. We shortened and modernized the wording, and we don’t use the questionnaire’s scoring rules or cutoffs. Instead you get your total, one of four zones, from “Relaxed” to “Strong pull”, and the statements you agreed with most, each with a practical tip. The zones are our own rough grouping by your average answer, not a scale from the research.

That’s deliberate. A short online quiz can’t tell you whether your phone use is a problem. What it can do is help you notice patterns, and noticing a pattern is usually where changing it starts.

What matters more than the hours

Screen time alone says little. An hour of video calls with family and an hour of scrolling you regret look identical in your statistics. What matters is what the time replaces and how you feel about it.

Ask yourself one question: does your phone get in the way of things you care about, like sleep, work, school or the people around you? If it does, the rest of this page is for you.

Signs your phone is getting in the way

None of these mean something is wrong with you. They are simply the moments where a habit costs you more than it gives:

• You pick up your phone without having decided to, often right after unlocking it for something else.
• You spend longer in an app than you meant to, and the time feels lost rather than enjoyed.
• Plans slip: the assignment, the workout, the book you wanted to read.
• It is hard to stay with one task for long, because part of your attention is waiting for the next notification.
• You feel restless or on edge when your phone is out of reach.
• People close to you mention how often you are on your phone.

What helps

Willpower alone rarely works against a habit that runs on autopilot. Changing the setup works better:

1. Look at your numbers. Screen Time on iPhone and Digital Wellbeing on Android show which apps take most of your time and how often you pick up your phone. Usually two or three apps account for most of it. Our guide on blocking apps on iPhone and Android shows where to find these settings.
2. Turn off notifications that don’t come from people. Every like, suggestion and “you might have missed” is a prompt to pick up your phone.
3. Add friction. Move distracting apps off your home screen, log out of them, or add a pause before they open. Braintoll, the app behind this site, does this with a few flashcards: before a blocked app opens, you review some cards, so the pause teaches you something.
4. Create phone-free places and times. The bedroom and your desk while you study are good places to start. More on that in our guide to app blockers for studying.
5. Replace the habit instead of only removing it. Decide what you want to do in the moments you would normally scroll, like a short walk, a few pages of a book or a message to a friend.

For more ideas, read our guide on how to stop mindless scrolling.

When to talk to someone

If your phone use causes problems you can’t change on your own, if it affects your sleep, your work or your relationships for a long time, or if you mostly use your phone to escape feelings that weigh on you, talk to a doctor, a counseling service or someone you trust. That is not an overreaction, and it is not something you have to solve alone.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the check take?

About two minutes. There are ten statements, and you answer each one on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree).

How accurate is this check?

It is not a diagnostic tool and makes no claim to be accurate. It only shows which statements you agreed with and how strongly. If you are worried about your phone use, a doctor or counseling service is the right place to go.

Are my answers saved?

No. Your answers are added up in your browser, and nothing is saved or sent to Braintoll or anyone else. Once you close or reload the page, they are gone.

How much screen time is too much?

There is no agreed number for adults. Two hours of video calls with family are not the same as two hours of scrolling you regret. A more useful question is whether your phone time crowds out things that matter to you, like sleep, exercise, studying or time with people.

Can teachers use this check in class?

Yes. It is free, needs no sign-up and stores no answers, so students can take it on their own phones. It works well as a starting point for a conversation about phone habits, as long as everyone knows it is not a diagnosis.