This test doesn’t diagnose anything. No internet test does, and anyone telling you otherwise is misleading you.
What it does do is order your thoughts. Because the vague feeling of “I think I use my phone a lot” is one thing….. and seeing it written down is another.
It takes two minutes. Be honest: nobody’s watching.
How it works
Score each statement from 0 to 3 based on the last month:
- 0 — never
- 1 — occasionally
- 2 — often
- 3 — nearly always
Jot the numbers on your phone (yes, ironic) or on paper, and add them up at the end.
The 15 questions
Control
- I go in “for a second” and end up spending far longer than I meant to.
- I’ve tried to cut down my phone use and haven’t managed it.
- I pick up my phone without noticing, without having decided to.
- I check it the moment I wake up, before getting out of bed.
What it’s taking from you
- I go to bed later than I wanted to because of my phone.
- I’ve stopped doing things I enjoy because of the time I spend on my phone.
- I struggle to concentrate on one task for more than twenty minutes.
- I look at my phone while someone is talking to me.
How you feel without it
- If I leave it at home, I feel uncomfortable all day.
- When the battery dies I get genuinely anxious.
- I check for notifications even when nothing has buzzed.
- I need it in sight, even when I’m not using it.
What you use it for
- I reach for it when I’m bored, uncomfortable or low.
- Someone close to me has mentioned I spend too much time on my phone.
- I finish a long session feeling worse than before I started.
Your result
0 to 10 points · All fine
You use your phone, it doesn’t use you. Occasionally it gets away from you, like everyone, but you’re in control.
Nothing to fix here.
11 to 22 points · Heavy use, but manageable
This is where most people are. Your phone takes more time than you’d like and sometimes you struggle to put it down….. but your life still works.
It’s the perfect moment to set a limit, because it’s still easy.
Start with two things: kill the notifications that don’t come from people and don’t let your phone sleep on your bedside table.
23 to 34 points · It’s costing you
It isn’t just time any more: it’s touching your sleep, your concentration or your relationships. And you’ve already tried to cut down without managing it.
Willpower alone usually isn’t enough here, and not because you’re weak: you’re competing against apps designed so that you can’t stop.
What works at this point is putting up barriers that don’t depend on you in the moment of temptation.
35 to 45 points · Worth talking about
A score like this suggests your phone is filling a large space, and probably covering something: anxiety, sadness, a situation that’s hard to face.
That doesn’t get fixed with an app or a settings trick.
Talk to your GP or a psychologist. It isn’t overreacting: it’s what you’d do about anything else you’ve spent months trying to change without success.
What this test doesn’t tell you
It doesn’t tell you whether you’re addicted. Phone addiction isn’t even recognised as a disorder, so nobody can diagnose you with fifteen questions on a website.
What it does give you is a snapshot of this month. And a snapshot is useful for comparing: save your score and take the test again in six weeks, after changing a couple of things.
That’s where you’ll see whether anything has shifted.
What number did you get?
Put up a real barrier
Nitor Fit locks the apps that hook you. To open them, you move. No “ignore” button.
