Half of Baby Boomers Spend More Than Three Hours on

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Suzanne Blake is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on consumer and social trends, spanning from retail to restaurants and beyond. She is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill and joined Newsweek in 2023. You can get in touch with Suzanne by emailing s.blake@newsweek.com. Languages: English

Suzanne Blake

Reporter, Consumer & Social Trends

🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.

Half of baby boomers are spending more than three hours on their phones each day, according to a new survey from AddictionResource.net.

The older age cohort, which includes ages 61 to 79, showed signs of potential digital addiction despite stereotypes that phone and social media overuse mainly impacts younger age groups.

Why It Matters

The report from AddictionResource.net found that 50 percent of their mostly baby boomer sample reported spending more than three hours daily on their smartphones. Roughly 20 percent spent more than five hours per day.

Adults are recommended to limit their recreational screen time to less than two hours per day, according to AddictionResource.net.

What To Know

A 2024 study from Pew Research discovered that nearly half of American teens are online “almost constantly,” but that behavior isn’t limited to young Americans.

While baby boomers grew up without cellphones and the internet, they have a high usage rate of cellular devices in their golden years.

The AddictionResource.net survey was based on responses from 2,000 people ages 59 to 77, making the majority of respondents baby boomers. Of that group, 40 percent said they felt anxious or uncomfortable when they don’t have access to their digital devices. And 50 percent said they check their phone within an hour of waking up every day.

What People Are Saying

HR consultant and generational expert Bryan Driscoll told Newsweek: “Boomers spend hours glued to their phones, but it’s not connection—it’s isolation. Many struggle to separate fact from fiction online, making them more vulnerable to misinformation and digital echo chambers. This isn’t just about screen time, it’s about a generation grappling with loneliness and a shifting sense of what’s real.”

Ruth Hernandez, a mental health counselor at AddictionResource.net, told Newsweek: “Honestly, it’s not that surprising anymore to see baby boomers spending hours on their phones. Many of them use smartphones for everything these days, such as texting with family, managing their health apps, reading the news, staying in touch on social media, and even streaming shows or watching videos. It’s become part of their daily routine, just like it is for younger folks.”

What Happens Next

The findings of the survey indicate that digital addiction is not a problem exclusive to younger generations, Hernandez said.

“This really pushes back on the old stereotype that older people aren’t tech-savvy or don’t care about digital life,” she said. “The truth is, boomers have adapted, many of them pretty quickly, and in some cases, they’re just as glued to their screens as the rest of us.

“At the end of the day, it shows that digital habits aren’t tied to age anymore. They’ve become part of how we all live, work and connect. Whether you’re 25 or 75, the pull of your phone is real.”

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