You're probably on your phone right now - and there's a good chance you don't really know why

If you've ever winced at your daily phone screen time, you might want to look away now.

Research into how long people in the UK will spend scrolling through their mobile aimlessly over an average lifespan has found it's not a case of days, weeks or months, but years.

The survey of more than 6,000 participants, commissioned by Virgin Media O2, found that more than a third of phone use (36%) takes place without a clear purpose – equivalent to around one hour and 26 minutes each day.

It means people on average are set to spend four years and eight months of their lives scrolling without intention, the media company said.

Those with the highest levels of unintentional phone use consistently reported worse outcomes in relation to poorer sleep, reduced focus and lower overall mental wellbeing.

The study found:

? An estimated 14m people spend more than half of their phone time without a clear purpose and are the most likely to experience negative effects

? Of these, some 41% reported poor sleep linked to phone or internet use, and 23% said their attention span was shorter.

? 23% also said they experienced reduced person-to-person social connections

? 61% admitted they were "not fully present" in situations such as spending time with loved ones or enjoying live music, because of their digital habits

? 41% said they have little or no control over how they use their phone or the internet, while a further 41% said willpower alone was not enough to change their behaviour – and 37% agreed that they were addicted to their devices.

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"We are not using our devices in the way we intend," said Dr Eleanor Drage, senior research fellow at the University of Cambridge's Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, where Virgin Media O2 is funding digital wellbeing research in a five-year initiative.

"Efforts to transform digital wellbeing require systemic change, including reshaping the environments within which we engage with technology."

Improving digital wellbeing requires action "on more than one front – combining effective regulation with education that helps people feel informed, confident and in control online", said Kanishka Narayan, minister for AI and online safety.

(c) Sky News 2026: You're probably on your phone right now - and there's a good chance you don't really know why