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Smartphone Addiction Test

Do you reach for your phone more than you would like? This self-test uses the Smartphone Addiction Scale in its short version (SAS-SV), a validated instrument with ten statements. It is not a diagnosis, but it shows you whether your use pattern is drifting into a problematic range.

Smartphone Addiction Scale, Short Version (SAS-SV)

The following ten statements are about your smartphone use. For each one, please indicate how much it applies to you, from "Strongly disagree" to "Strongly agree".

10 questions~2 minanonymous, scored in your browsernot a diagnosis

What does the SAS-SV measure?

The test does not ask about your screen time in hours. It asks about the signs of addictive use: missing planned tasks, trouble concentrating, feeling you cannot cope without the phone, restlessness without it, your mind circling back to it, and people around you saying it is too much. Each of the ten statements is rated on six steps from strongly disagree to strongly agree, for a total from 10 to 60. A high score comes not from heavy use alone but from loss of control and impairment.

What does the result mean?

In the original study the threshold was 31 points for men and 33 for women. Since this test does not ask for sex, it names both as orientation. These cutoffs were calibrated on Korean adolescents and are a transferable approximation for adults, not an exactly validated threshold. The result is not proof of an addiction, but a signal of a problematic use pattern. What matters is whether your daily life suffers.

Do not confuse it with ADHD or depression

A high score is not automatically a standalone addiction. Constant phone-checking can also express something else: with ADHD the device pulls attention especially easily; with depression or anxiety scrolling becomes numbing or distraction; with loneliness it stands in for missing closeness. So it helps to look honestly at what the phone does for you. If inattention, low mood, or tension play a part, the ADHD, depression, or anxiety tests add context.

Source

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. DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0083558. Free to use under CC BY 4.0. The German items are our own, non-validated translation of the English original.

Frequently asked questions

Am I addicted to my phone?

A high score is a sign of a problematic use pattern, not a diagnosis. What matters is whether sleep, focus, work, or relationships suffer and whether you struggle to cut back despite trying.

Does the test measure my screen time?

No. The SAS-SV does not ask about hours but about signs of loss of control and impairment. Heavy use alone does not produce a high score; the pattern is what counts.

Is phone addiction the same as ADHD or depression?

No. Constant phone-checking can also express ADHD, depression, anxiety, or loneliness. So it helps to look at what the phone does for you. The ADHD, depression, or anxiety tests add context.

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Reviewed by our editorial team

Instrument, scientific basis, and limitations checked. Last updated July 2026. Independent, anonymous, not a diagnosis.

After the test

A smartphone addiction result is a signal, not a verdict. Note what stood out and use it as a starting point for a conversation with a medical or mental-health professional.

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