Problematic Smartphone Use: Addiction or Compulsion?

Opinions are strong, but the science is far from settled

Photo: Jens Johnsson/Unsplash

Smartphone use has gotten out of hand. So say a lot of smartphone users, anyway. In a Pew Research Center survey, 54% of teens ages 13–17 say they spend too much time on their phones, 31% say their phone use sometimes or often distracts them in class or at work, and 40% say they…