Wednesday, 23 September 2026 - 17:00
Eight in ten 16- to 34-year-olds in the Netherlands report that their smartphones harm their everyday lives. This was discovered by the EenVandaag Youth Panel, conducted with Stitching MIND and De Marker, among 1,100 respondents.
A quarter, or 27 percent, of the respondents spend at least six hours a day on their phone, with most of that time spent on social media. “I check my phone almost every hour,” one participant said. “That’s how I stay in touch with friends, which I’m really glad about - but I actually want to get off my phone so badly.” On a positive note, the respondents talked about keeping contact with friends they would otherwise lose.
For 79 percent - eight in ten- the hours they spend scrolling have a negative effect on them. Fifty-one percent lost concentration and productivity, while 40 percent reported losing sleep and 32 percent reported losing the ability to relax.
Three quarters, 73 percent, reported going to bed too late because they are stuck on their phone. “You think, ‘just a little longer’ - and that ‘little longer’ turns into two hours,” one person said.
Nearly four in ten people with psychological complaints believe their phone use makes it worse. “I see it in the fact that I started thinking even worse about my own life and about myself,” one respondent wrote. “What you see is mostly perfection and impossibly high standards. Or friends going out without you when you weren’t invited.”
Others reported feeling overwhelmed or like they are becoming separated from the real world. “So much information, stimulation, and news that you deal with in your head whether you want to or not. It comes in. You process it.” Some, however, reported that their phone use helped them understand themselves better.