As smartphones become central to everyday life, questions have also arisen about how users’ relationships with their devices are taking shape.

Experts say the nature of a person’s relationship with their phone, the needs that drive their use of the device and whether they can control that use are important to understanding the behavior. The issue, which is being debated in different parts of the world, is also reflected in the experiences of users living in Türkiye.

For a 26-year-old in Türkiye, checking their phone for a message can turn into hours of screen time.

The user, who spoke to Daily Sabah on condition of anonymity, said their average daily phone use reaches seven hours and can rise to 10 hours on weekends. The user has tried several times to cut back but has been unable to do so and said they become anxious when their phone is not nearby and feel incomplete when they are away from it.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure based on We Are Social Digital 2026 data, weekly social media use in Türkiye has reached 25 hours and four minutes, while time spent on online media has reached 41 hours and 37 minutes. The same data shows that average daily use of Instagram in Türkiye is one hour and 53 minutes, YouTube is one hour and 28 minutes and TikTok is one hour and 25 minutes.

Experts say anxiety, uncertainty and the expectation of always being reachable can fuel repeated phone-checking behavior.

They also say the desire to escape the stress and intensity of everyday life can contribute to reaching for a phone. At that point, the screen can become more than a communication tool, serving as a temporary means of escape.

Clinical psychologist Şeyma Koçak Bin Siraj, who spoke to Daily Sabah, said looking only at the amount of time spent on a phone is not enough to answer the question of whether use is problematic. According to Koçak Bin Siraj, it is also necessary to consider the role the phone plays in a person’s life and how it is used.

Koçak Bin Siraj said that as a person’s tolerance for negative emotions decreases, their tendency to seek short-term rewards that make them feel better can increase. Anxiety, difficulties in a person’s personal or professional life, or a lack of fulfillment in relationships can make the mind more prone to seeking rewards.

Experts say phone use can become a means of escape and short-term relief at this point. While engaging with their phone, a person may temporarily reduce the impact of negative emotions in their life and experience a brief sense of pleasure.

Koçak Bin Siraj also pointed out that phone use can be viewed as more socially acceptable than other forms of addiction.

The spread of phone use into different areas of everyday life should also be considered alongside this social acceptance.

Experts say the role of phones in our lives is not limited to emotional needs. Their function in everyday life extends beyond communication.

Professor Ali Büyükaslan, dean of the Faculty of Communication at Medipol University, told Daily Sabah that smartphones have become tools used across many areas of daily life.

Büyükaslan noted that many activities, from banking and shopping to following the news and meeting everyday needs, can now be carried out via phone. He said digitalization has led everyday life to increasingly revolve around these devices.

This can also be seen in everyday activities conducted online.

According to 2026 data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), 60% of individuals purchase or order goods or services online, while 76% use e-government services.

Büyükaslan said smartphones also play an important role in accessing information and producing content, in addition to facilitating everyday transactions. He noted that digital platforms have created an environment in which everyone can share and produce information.

Experts say that in an environment where information is produced and shared by everyone, it has also become more difficult to distinguish what is real from what is false or manipulative. They said the information environment on digital platforms is becoming increasingly complex.

This information environment can also create conditions that lead users to repeatedly check developments appearing throughout the day.

According to We Are Social Digital 2026 data, leading reasons for internet use in Türkiye include obtaining information, following news and current affairs, and communicating with friends and family. Some 71.6% of internet users use the internet to obtain information, 63% to follow news and current affairs, and 62.7% to communicate with friends and family.

Digital cycle of uncertainty

According to Koçak Bin Siraj, low tolerance for uncertainty and a tendency toward anxiety can lead people to try to control what is happening around them.

Koçak Bin Siraj said checking what is happening around them through their phones can temporarily ease the fear and anxiety created by uncertainty and provide a sense of security. As a result, people may frequently check social media and digital platforms.

However, Koçak Bin Siraj said the perception that we can control everything and everyone is an illusion, emphasizing that life is unpredictable and uncertain.

This need for control also intersects with the way platforms are designed to draw users back to their screens. Büyükaslan said digital platforms track users’ preferences and expectations and use designs intended to generate curiosity and bring them back to the platform.

Büyükaslan said platforms can steer users in particular directions through different methods of persuasion, adding that these designs are shaped by user behavior.

The constantly updating feed can also intensify users’ sense that they are falling behind.

Fear of missing out

The fear of missing out, or FOMO, is another prominent concept in phone and social media use.

Koçak Bin Siraj said two key factors influencing FOMO are fear of exclusion and a sense of competition.

Experts say people who have experienced or strongly felt exclusion, rejection or being left out in their personal lives may monitor their social circles, workplaces or partners more closely. They said social media and digital platforms have become convenient tools for doing so.

Koçak Bin Siraj said social media platforms can become environments that reinforce these behaviors for people raised in competitive and comparative environments. Such people may want to follow not only news but also the lifestyles, incomes and levels of fulfillment of those around them.

Koçak Bin Siraj said comparing one’s own life with the lives of people around them can further reinforce the behavior. A person may feel adequate and successful when they believe their life is comparable to what they see, but their self-perception and life satisfaction may decline when they believe they have not yet reached what they see.

Another user who asked not to be identified said they feel as though they are missing out when they stay away from social media.

The user said they feel they are falling behind when they cannot keep up with what is happening around them, leading them to repeatedly check their social media accounts throughout the day.

The user also said following other people’s lives on social media reinforces this feeling and that they sometimes compare themselves with people around them.

Experts say anxiety about missing out and falling behind can also strengthen the need to remain constantly connected in the digital environment.

Cost of constant connectivity

According to experts, the expectation of always being reachable represents another dimension of phone-related behavior.

Koçak Bin Siraj said both social pressure and expectations in the workplace can reinforce this dynamic. She said people who experience strong feelings of guilt may be particularly vulnerable when they do not check emails outside working hours, respond to messages late, fail to reply while online or do not answer their phones immediately.

Koçak Bin Siraj said trying to keep up with everyone and then feeling guilty when unable to do so can also reinforce phone-checking behavior.

The anonymous user also said they have difficulty maintaining efforts to stay away from their phone. The user said they feel pressured to respond to messages and notifications on time.

Where the boundary becomes blurred

Koçak Bin Siraj said a person who frequently uses their phone and computer for work or following the news should not be evaluated in the same way as someone who constantly uses social media to regulate their emotions. Even if a person uses their phone extensively, time spent on the device alone is not a measure of addiction if they do not neglect their work, social life or personal care and can step away from the phone at times.

According to Koçak Bin Siraj, signs of problematic use include an inability to control use, feeling restless when the phone is unavailable, spending increasingly more time on it, unsuccessful attempts to reduce or stop use and continuing to use the phone despite its negative effects on important areas of daily life.

Koçak Bin Siraj said particular attention should be paid to changes in the function the phone serves in a person’s life.

A shift in which the phone stops being primarily a tool for communication or obtaining information and instead becomes a means of regulating emotions can be considered one indication of a change in the way it is being used.

Büyükaslan said the integration of smartphones into so many areas of daily life also makes it more difficult to step away from them. The ability to handle everything from following the news to meeting everyday needs through a phone means the device is no longer merely a tool for communication.

When a significant portion of daily life is conducted through the same device, the boundaries of a person’s relationship with their phone can also become blurred.

Koçak Bin Siraj, however, emphasized that when assessing this boundary, the focus should be less on the amount of time spent on the phone and more on what need drives the person to use it and whether they are able to control their use.