Nomophobia: the fear of being without your phone
Nomophobia — short for “no-mobile-phone phobia” — is the discomfort or anxiety a person feels at the thought of being without their smartphone, or unable to use it. It’s become one of the most common ways our relationship with screens shows up as real stress.
Researchers built a validated 20-question scale to measure it. Below you can take that exact test and see where you — or your child — land.
Take the test20 questions · about 2 minutes · educational, not a diagnosis
What nomophobia actually looks like
It’s not really about loving your phone. It’s the low, constant hum of unease when the phone isn’t within reach — a dead battery, no signal, a forgotten charger, a parent asking for it at dinner. For a lot of people, and especially for kids and teens, that feeling has quietly become part of everyday life.
In their 2015 study, researchers Yıldırım and Correia found that this anxiety clusters into four distinct feelings. Most people recognise at least one of them instantly:
Not being able to access information
Unease when you cannot look things up, check the news, or get an answer the moment you want it.
Giving up convenience
The background stress around a dying battery, a lost signal, or hitting a data limit.
Not being able to communicate
Anxiety about not being able to reach — or be reached by — family and friends.
Losing connectedness
Discomfort at being cut off from your online identity, social feeds, and notifications.
None of this means a phone is the enemy. It just means the pull is real, it’s measurable — and naming it is the first step to loosening its grip.
Take the test
Rate how much you agree with each statement, from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Answer for yourself — or with your child in mind. There are no right answers; honest ones give the truest result.
- 1.
I would feel uncomfortable without constant access to information through my smartphone.
Strongly disagreeplaceholderStrongly agree - 2.
I would be annoyed if I could not look information up on my smartphone when I wanted to do so.
Strongly disagreeplaceholderStrongly agree - 3.
Being unable to get the news (e.g., happenings, weather, etc.) on my smartphone would make me nervous.
Strongly disagreeplaceholderStrongly agree - 4.
I would be annoyed if I could not use my smartphone and/or its capabilities when I wanted to do so.
Strongly disagreeplaceholderStrongly agree - 5.
Running out of battery in my smartphone would scare me.
Strongly disagreeplaceholderStrongly agree - 6.
If I were to run out of credits or hit my monthly data limit, I would panic.
Strongly disagreeplaceholderStrongly agree - 7.
If I did not have a data signal or could not connect to Wi-Fi, then I would constantly check to see if I had a signal or could find a Wi-Fi network.
Strongly disagreeplaceholderStrongly agree - 8.
If I could not use my smartphone, I would be afraid of getting stranded somewhere.
Strongly disagreeplaceholderStrongly agree - 9.
If I could not check my smartphone for a while, I would feel a desire to check it.
Strongly disagreeplaceholderStrongly agree If I did not have my smartphone with me…
Picture not having it on you — then rate each one.
10.I would feel anxious because I could not instantly communicate with my family and/or friends.
Strongly disagreeplaceholderStrongly agree- 11.
I would be worried because my family and/or friends could not reach me.
Strongly disagreeplaceholderStrongly agree - 12.
I would feel nervous because I would not be able to receive text messages and calls.
Strongly disagreeplaceholderStrongly agree - 13.
I would be anxious because I could not keep in touch with my family and/or friends.
Strongly disagreeplaceholderStrongly agree - 14.
I would be nervous because I could not know if someone had tried to get a hold of me.
Strongly disagreeplaceholderStrongly agree - 15.
I would feel anxious because my constant connection to my family and friends would be broken.
Strongly disagreeplaceholderStrongly agree - 16.
I would be nervous because I would be disconnected from my online identity.
Strongly disagreeplaceholderStrongly agree - 17.
I would be uncomfortable because I could not stay up-to-date with social media and online networks.
Strongly disagreeplaceholderStrongly agree - 18.
I would feel awkward because I could not check my notifications for updates from my connections and online networks.
Strongly disagreeplaceholderStrongly agree - 19.
I would feel anxious because I could not check my email messages.
Strongly disagreeplaceholderStrongly agree - 20.
I would feel weird because I would not know what to do.
Strongly disagreeplaceholderStrongly agree
20 questions left to answer.
About this test & sources
This is the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q), a validated 20-item scale. Items, the four-factor structure and the score bands are reproduced from the original paper:
Yildirim, C., & Correia, A.-P. (2015). Exploring the dimensions of nomophobia: Development and validation of a self-reported questionnaire. Computers in Human Behavior, 49, 130–137. DOI · item reference (PsyToolkit)
This self-assessment is for education and self-reflection only. It is not a medical or psychological diagnosis. If phone use is causing real distress, please speak with a qualified professional.