Phone Addiction Test: See Your Smartphone Use Band Based on the SAS-SV Scale
This phone addiction test screens for difficulty controlling smartphone use and interference with daily life. It is adapted from the SAS-SV and gives an instant score with an educational usage band.
Reviewed by Michael Callans, MSW 
Phone Addiction Test is a free, confidential 10-question self-assessment, informed by the validated SAS-SV. It takes about 8 minutes, runs entirely in your browser, and gives you a plain-language score across 3 interpretation bands plus an optional in-depth report. It is an educational screening, not a diagnosis.
What problematic phone use actually looks like
Problematic smartphone use means difficulty controlling phone use that interferes with daily responsibilities, relationships, or wellbeing. Time on a screen gives only part of the picture. This self-assessment asks about the pull to keep checking and the effects you recognize in your life.
SAS-SV-style score
Ten agreement statements adapted from the Smartphone Addiction Scale, Short Version. They tap the core features researchers use to define problematic smartphone use.
Loss of control
Whether you use the phone longer than you intend, struggle to cut back, or feel impatient or restless without it. Notice whether checking feels like a choice and what happens when you try to redirect your attention.
Life interference
Whether the phone is disrupting sleep, work, study, or face-to-face relationships. Interference is what separates a habit from a problem.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| Based on a validated scale (SAS-SV) | Rarely | Yes, faithfully adapted |
| Usage bands, not just a number | No | Yes (low to high problematic use) |
| Control vs interference breakdown | No | Yes, both shown |
| Non-judgmental, practical tone | Often preachy | Yes, throughout |
| Evidence-based next steps | Generic tips | Yes, specific and realistic |
| Optional in-depth personalized report | No | Yes, written to your exact scores |
| Confidential (no data sent) | Often tracked | Runs in your browser |
How scoring works
Answers are scored 0–50 in total. Your result falls into one of 3 bands:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–16 | Low problematic use | Your answers suggest a healthy, manageable relationship with your phone. The context below is still a useful read. |
| 17–33 | Moderate problematic use | Your answers suggest your phone is starting to pull on your time and attention. This is common and very workable. |
| 34–50 | High problematic use | Your answers suggest your phone use is affecting your life in ways worth taking seriously, and gently. |
How common is this?
A phone addiction test screens for the effects of your own smartphone habits. Population statistics cannot determine whether your use is a problem. Screening questions land differently when you know how many other people are answering them the same way. Our social media addiction statistics page collects the current numbers on heavy phone and social media use in the United States, each one with its source and the year it was measured next to it.
None of those figures say anything about your own result. They are context for it, and a reminder that whatever the score, this is common ground rather than rare territory.
How the SAS-SV score breaks down
The ten statements split into two groups that add up to your total. Six statements measure control: how hard it is to put the phone down, cut back, or stop thinking about it. Four statements measure interference: whether the phone is disrupting your focus, sleep, comfort, or relationships. Each statement is scored from 0 to 5, so control runs from 0 to 30 and interference from 0 to 20.
Looking at the two scores separately can be more useful than looking at the total alone. A high control score with a low interference score often means the phone feels hard to resist but is not yet costing you much. A rise in the interference score, even with a modest total, is usually the more important signal to act on.
The control and interference groups are descriptive categories used on this page, rather than independently validated SAS-SV subscales. The usage bands are also educational groupings. Because this adaptation changes wording and the scoring origin, compare your result with the explanation here rather than importing a cutoff from another SAS-SV website.
Phone addiction vs internet addiction
The two are related but not the same question. This test looks at your relationship with the device itself: the reaching, the checking, the discomfort of being without it. The Internet Addiction Test looks at what you do once you are online, such as browsing, gaming, or social media, which can happen on a phone, a laptop, or any screen.
If gaming specifically is the pull rather than the phone in general, the Video Game Addiction Test measures that pattern using its own validated scale. It is common to recognize yourself in more than one of these screens, since heavy phone use, internet use, and gaming often travel together.
Signs it is time to talk to a professional
You can try practical changes to your phone settings and routines while considering what support would help. It is worth talking to a professional if you have tried to cut back and repeatedly could not, if the phone is displacing sleep, work, or relationships you care about, or if you are using it to escape anxiety, low mood, or loneliness that has not lifted on its own.
A therapist can help you address the phone use and whatever it is tangled up with at the same time, and help you decide which concerns need attention first. If you are unsure whether your situation calls for professional support, the Do I Need Therapy? Quiz can help you think it through, and the Psychology.com therapist directory lists clinicians who work with habits and technology use.
You can find the related screenings through the Psychology.com tests hub. You do not need to complete additional tests before asking for support. Bring examples of missed responsibilities, disrupted sleep, or repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut back so a clinician can understand the effect on your life.
How can I cut back when I need my phone for work?
Separate necessary use from the checking you want to change. For example, you might need calls from family or work while finding that social media interrupts a task. Keep essential alerts available and consider silencing the notifications that pull you away from what you meant to do. Choose a change that fits your responsibilities and access needs.
Use the Habit Tracker to record the situation that prompted checking, what you intended to do, and what happened next. Review whether your plan helped you finish a task, stay present in a conversation, or settle for sleep. Treat this as a personal experiment you can adjust, without assuming that everyone needs the same screen-time target.
Methodology & sources
The ten statements are adapted from the Smartphone Addiction Scale, Short Version (SAS-SV), developed and validated by Kwon and colleagues (2013). Each item is rated on a six-point agreement scale, keeping the structure of the original instrument while wording items for clarity and a non-judgmental tone. The SAS-SV captures the recognized features of problematic use: daily-life disturbance, withdrawal-like feelings, preoccupation, tolerance, and difficulty cutting back.
This test is provided for education and self-reflection. Phone addiction is not a formal diagnosis in the DSM-5-TR; researchers treat problematic smartphone use as a behavioral pattern that exists on a spectrum. We report your result as a usage band rather than a label, and we focus on what is workable rather than what is wrong.
Kwon and colleagues validated the original SAS-SV in South Korean adolescents. They reported internal consistency of 0.911, which describes how closely the questionnaire's answers relate to each other, not the probability that a person's result is correct. This page changes wording and starts response scoring at zero. The source study's thresholds and accuracy estimates should not be applied directly to this adaptation.
References
- Kwon M, Kim DJ, Cho H, Yang S. The Smartphone Addiction Scale: development and validation of a short version for adolescents. PLoS One. 2013;8(12):e83558. journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0083558
- Kwon M, Lee JY, Won WY, et al. Development and validation of a smartphone addiction scale (SAS). PLoS One. 2013;8(2):e56936.
- Billieux J, Maurage P, Lopez-Fernandez O, et al. Can disordered mobile phone use be considered a behavioral addiction? Curr Addict Rep. 2015;2:156-162.
- Elhai JD, Dvorak RD, Levine JC, Hall BJ. Problematic smartphone use: a conceptual overview and systematic review of relations with anxiety and depression psychopathology. J Affect Disord. 2017;207:251-259.
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, September 15). Phone Addiction Test. Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/tests/phone-addiction
Phone Addiction Test FAQ
What is the SAS-SV phone addiction test?
The Smartphone Addiction Scale, Short Version is a brief, research-validated questionnaire that measures problematic smartphone use. It asks about losing track of time, difficulty cutting back, restlessness without your phone, and the impact on daily life, then places your result in a usage band. It is one of the most widely used tools in smartphone-use research. This page uses adapted wording and educational bands, so the original instrument's validation does not establish this version's accuracy.
Is phone addiction a real condition?
Phone addiction is not a formal diagnosis in the DSM-5-TR. Researchers describe problematic smartphone use as a behavioral pattern on a spectrum, with features that overlap with other behavioral addictions. That does not make the struggle any less real, and the same strategies that help with other habits help here too.
What score means my phone use is a problem?
This screen sorts your result into low, moderate, or high problematic use based on your total. Higher scores reflect more of the warning signs researchers look for. The bands are a guide for reflection, not a clinical verdict about you. Consider concrete effects, such as repeatedly missing responsibilities or feeling unable to stop checking, even if your total is lower.
Is the test really confidential?
Yes. It runs entirely in your browser. Your individual answers are scored in your browser and are never sent to us or linked to you. They stay in this tab so you can return to your result, and closing or clearing the tab clears them. If you ask us to email the PDF, we receive your summary scores with your email address, never your individual answers. No account is needed.
What if my result worries me?
Start with a manageable change, such as silencing distracting notifications or choosing a place to put your phone while you work. Notice whether the change helps with the difficulty that concerned you. If phone use continues to disrupt sleep, responsibilities, or relationships, or accompanies anxiety, low mood, or loneliness, consider discussing the pattern with a licensed clinician.
Is phone addiction the same as internet addiction?
They overlap but are not identical. Phone addiction, as this test screens for, focuses on the device itself: the pull to check it, keep it close, and use it longer than planned. Internet addiction can happen on any device and centers on specific online activities, such as browsing, gaming, or social media. Someone can score high on one and low on the other, so the Internet Addiction Test looks at that broader pattern separately.
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