Biggest ever study on smartphone addiction reveals the exact group that is most at risk – and it’s a surprisingly big number of Americans

According to a landmark study on obsessive phone use involving 50,000 people around the world, young women are the demographic most likely to develop a smartphone addiction.

The researchers, who conducted an online survey of people aged 18 to 90 in almost 200 countries, found that a third of the world’s population used their phones in an addictive way.

Another surprising finding was the country where unhealthy smartphone use is most common.

Researchers found that citizens of some South Asian countries, such as the Philippines and Malaysia, are the most likely to develop smartphone addiction, even more than those of the US.

Experts say the scale of the international problem is a serious concern for the mental health of several countries.

Previous studies have linked above-average smartphone use to a range of mental health problems, including sleep problems, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), depression and anxiety.

In the new study, conducted by experts from McGill University in Canada and Harvard University, 50,423 participants in 195 countries completed a questionnaire about their phone habits, known as the Smartphone Addiction Scale.

The majority of participants (64 percent) were female and the average age was 39 years.

The survey consisted of 10 statements that participants rated from 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree), for a total score ranging from 10 to 60.

The questionnaire contained statements such as: ‘I have difficulty concentrating in class while doing assignments or while working due to smartphone use.’

The research shows that young women are more likely to have cell phone addiction than men because they socialize more often and use phones as a coping mechanism for depression and anxiety.

The most common statement participants agreed with was, “I use my smartphone longer than I intend to.”

According to the team, a score between 31 and 33 would indicate a smartphone addiction. Based on this, the sample showed that 29 to 31 percent of the world’s population is at risk.

Although the US is not mentioned in the study, this global figure suggests that millions of Americans could be addicted to their phones.

The researchers found that young women under the age of 40 were more likely to develop the problem, compared to men of the same age and older adults.

The team said this could be because women are more likely to use their phones for social purposes, such as texting, which could make phone use a more consistent habit.

They also said that women are “generally more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety,” which could lead them to doomscrolling or using their phone as a distraction.

Additionally, the data looked closely at the 41 countries with at least 100 participants and found that phone addiction was more common in Southeast Asian countries.

The Philippines had the highest score, with 34.47 points, while Malaysia followed closely with 34.05 points.

However, European countries scored the lowest, with the Czech Republic taking bottom place with 27.66 points. Switzerland came in at 27.88 points, while Portugal had 28.07 points.

The researchers say it is largely unclear why Southeast Asian countries have the highest rates of mobile phone addiction, although it is likely that young people in these countries are under greater pressure to keep in touch with friends and family.

The team said more research is needed to determine why certain countries had higher rates than others.

The research was published last week in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.