Smartphone Addiction Scale — Short Version

Korean researcher Kwon and colleagues developed the SAS-SV in 2013 to screen quickly for problematic smartphone use. Its 10 items use six-point ratings, for a total of 10–60. Uses include screening adolescents and university students, self-assessing phone use, tracking intervention outcomes, and epidemiological research. Its brief format takes about three minutes and is widely used in schools, communities, and research.

Items are rated from 1 = strongly disagree to 6 = strongly agree, with a total of 10–60. Cutoffs of 31 or above for males and 33 or above for females indicate smartphone addiction. The gender difference reflects research finding slightly greater dependence among females. Higher scores indicate greater severity. If you exceed the cutoff, review whether phone use affects study, work, sleep, or relationships and seek help if needed.

The SAS-SV is particularly suited to adolescents and university students, major smartphone users who face higher risk of problematic use. It also suits adults concerned about overuse, parents evaluating a child's use, education in schools and workplaces, and research. It is a screening tool and cannot establish a clinical diagnosis alone. For children under 12, use parental assistance or an age-specific measure. Cultural context affects interpretation; Chinese norms show a mean of about 37.76 ± 9.18.

Common signs include needing more phone time to feel satisfied; anxiety, irritability, or restlessness without the phone; difficulty controlling use; harm to study, work, sleep, or relationships; continued overuse despite knowing it is harmful; and less time for exercise, socializing, or hobbies. You may be at risk if you use your phone for more than five hours a day outside work, feel you must scroll before bed, check it every 5–10 minutes, feel anxious without it, or have sleep problems or falling grades because of phone use.

Set daily and app limits using screen-time controls. Keep meals, study, work, and the hour before bed phone-free. Place the phone out of sight or in another room. Fill free time with exercise, reading, art, or face-to-face contact. Reduce notifications and try grayscale to make the screen less appealing. Agree with friends or family to cut back together. Notice the urge to check and ask whether you really need to do it now. If self-management is difficult, consider counseling.

Seek professional help if your score substantially exceeds the cutoff—over 35 for males or 37 for females—or if phone use seriously affects school or work, creates conflict with family or leads you to neglect friends, causes intense anxiety or panic without the phone, or severely disrupts sleep through late-night use and daytime drowsiness. Other concerns include neck problems, declining eyesight, or finger pain; repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut back; and accompanying depression, anxiety, or social fear. Counselors can offer CBT and other effective interventions to help you build healthier phone habits. These difficulties can improve, and earlier support often helps more.