Baby Boomers Are Just as Addicted to Smartphones as Millennials

A study by the Provision Living senior living community consortium sought to examine the similarities and differences in smartphone use between baby-boomer and millennial generations, reports Forbes . The results contradicted general assumptions, with boomers spending five hours a day on phones, almost equal to millennials' phone time. More surprising was the finding that millennials spend more time making old-fashioned phone calls to talk to peers and loved ones compared to boomers. Social media constitutes a significant portion of phone time for both generations, with Facebook being the most popular site, eating up more than an hour daily. This concerns mental health experts, who cite research suggesting connectivity to Facebook disrupts in-person connectivity, sleep, and even memory, while also potentially compounding depression and anxiety. However, generational differences are apparent in how boomers and millennials spend the remaining three or more hours daily on their phones. Texting consumes another hour each day for millennials, while boomers are on e-mail, news apps, and the Internet. Millennials also frequently use their smartphones to listen to music apps like Pandora and Spotify, along with various podcasts. However, Twitter and YouTube were the least-used forms of social media on smartphones across both cohorts.