Digital addiction is becoming an increasingly prominent social problem, and rates of Internet addiction are rapidly rising among today’s teens. Below are some statistics that highlight the scope of the problem.

Statistics on the prevalence of Internet & smart phone addiction

The number of teens showing signs of digital addiction varies from as low as 1% or 2% to as much as 50% or more, depending on how it’s measured and the definition used. Yet studies consistently arrive at numbers between 5% and 15%, suggesting digital addiction is a problem affecting many of today’s youth.

Statistic #1: A study by Ayas (2012) found that the prevalence for Internet addiction among students ranged from 6% to 14%, and a more recent study found that 6% to 11% of all Internet users in the U.S. meet the criteria for Internet addiction. (Li et al., 2015)

Statistic #2: A South Korean study found that 8% of the overall population was addicted to the Internet, and among adolescents, 12.4% exhibited patterns of Internet addiction. (Heo et al., 2014)

Statistic #3: Among Taiwanese High School students, 12.5% used the Internet compulsively. (Tsai & Lin, 2003)

Statistic #4: A study of Greek adolescents found an Internet addiction rate of 7.2% in males and 5.1% in females. (Fisoun et al., 2012)

Statistic #5: A South Korean study that classified high school students as either severe addicts or moderate addicts found that 2.5% of boys and 1.9% of girls were serious addicts, and another 53.7% of boys and 38.9% of girls qualified as moderate addicts, showing just how many teens are on the cusp of problematic behavior.

Statistic #6: Among Turkish students, 14.2% showed limited symptoms of addiction, and another 1.3% were severely addicted (Sahin & Deniz, 2003), whereas another study of Turkish students found 23.2% showed signs of Internet addiction. (Eksi, 2012)

Statistic #7: Chinese elementary & middle school students show an 11.7% rate of addiction among those who have internet access. (Li et al., 2014)

Statistic #8: A study of adolescents in different cultures found an 8% addiction rate in Greece, 11% in Taiwan and China, and 1.4% in Southern Italy. (Fioravanti, Dettore & Casale, 2012) Among college students, rates of Internet addiction vary from 1% to 26% in the U.S. and 6% to 19% internationally. (Christakis et al., 2011)

Statistic #9: A new study across all of the European Union found that 4.4% of teens displayed problematic Internet use, and the rate was higher among males (5.2%) than females (3.8%). (Durkee et al., 2012)

Other digital addiction statistics

Statistic #1: 11.5% of students are “hypernetworkers,” spending 3 or more hours per school day on social networking sites. These kids also suffer from higher rates of stress, poor sleep, depression, lower academic performance, substance abuse and suicide. (Frank et al., 2010)

Statistic #2: Girls are 4-times more likely than boys to have texting-related problems that are indicative of digital addiction. (Kardaras, 2016)