We spend almost 9 years of our lives looking at our phones - according to a new study

Mobile phones are a daily part of life for many people. You’ll likely often find yourself scrolling on social media, sending off work emails, and online shopping from your device.

But a huge chunk of our lives may be spent with our eyes on phone screens, reveals a new study.

How much time do people spend on their phones?

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A study by WhistleOut surveyed 1,000 American smartphone users in order to see just how much time they spend using their mobile phones.

The survey found that millennials - those born between 1981 and 1996 - spend almost a quarter of their waking lives on their phones, with 23.1 per cent of their day spent looking at their device.

Generation X - born between 1965 and 1980 - were found to spend 16.5 per cent of their day on their phones, with baby boomers - born between 1946 and 1964 - spending 9.9 per cent of their days scrolling on their phones.

The average amount of screen time per day for millennials was found to be 3.7 hours, followed by three hours for generation X and 2.5 hours for boomers.

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This works out at around 56 days each year for millennials, compared to 39 days per year for boomers.

Nearly 9 years of our lives are spent on mobile phones

The research estimated that, over the course of their lifetime, the average phone user will spend 8.74 years on their phones.

WhistleOut said, “The average person spends a little over 76,500 hours on their smartphones over the course of their lifetime - which works out to 8.74 years of your life.

“This is based on the average age of acquiring a phone - which is now just over 10 years old - coupled with 3.07 hours of average daily use.”

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However, WhistleOut explains that this may not come as a surprise to some, as millennials “were born and raised during one of the most innovative technological periods in history,” with digital tools available at a far earlier age for them than for previous generations.

Alongside this, many millennials find themselves in professions centred around technology, that often require smartphone use in order to perform their jobs.

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