Study: Who’s best at unplugging this summer?

Luke Warr Published July 1, 2025

Nearly 4 in 5 Americans want to reduce their screen time this summer, according to our survey of 2,000 people from across the country. Still, even on vacation, phones are back in hand by the break of day…

In short:

• 78% of Americans say they want to cut down on screen time this summer;
• On average, people want to reduce their daily screen time on vacation by 2 hours and 20 minutes;
• While people in the U.S. typically check their phones for the first time at 6:58 AM on a regular day, they’re not exactly unplugging on vacation either — on average, they’re back on their phones by 8:49 AM at their vacation destination;
• Social media is the hardest to resist while on vacation, with 44% saying it’s the toughest to stay away from.

Source: Survey of 2,000 U.S. residents, conducted in June 2025.

Morning stroll vs. morning scroll

Sure, it sounds great: a break from screens while on vacation. No chasing high scores on your favorite game, no answering that one (work) email, and definitely no endless scrolling through social media. According to our survey, 78% of Americans want to cut down on screen time while away. And they’re aiming high — planning to shave off about 2 hours and 20 minutes a day. But it’s not always that easy: on a regular day, Americans reach for their phones at 6:58 AM, our study finds. And even on vacation, the phone’s back in hand by 8:49 AM.

Illinois is the nation’s worst at switching off

In Illinois, vacation mode barely slows people down: phones are unlocked at 8:01 AM, just 28 minutes later than their usual 7:33. That makes Illinois the top early scroller and the nation’s worst at switching off.

Marylanders wait the longest to unlock phones on vacation

In Maryland, people unlock their phones later than anywhere else in the country while on vacation: on average, not until 10:58 AM. That’s a full 2 hours and 43 minutes later than their usual first phone check at 8:15 AM.

West Virginia’s phone habits change the most on vacation

But Maryland doesn’t hold the record for the biggest time gap. That goes to West Virginia, where phones aren’t unlocked until 10:15 AM during summer vacation; 4 hours later than the normal 6:15 AM start.

Social media: the biggest screen magnet

So what’s pulling us back to our screens, making us choose scrolling over a dip in the pool or an ice cream on the boardwalk? We asked respondents which phone apps or activities they find hardest to cut back on while on vacation. Social media clearly takes the crown: 44% said it’s toughest to resist scrolling through photos and videos.

Messaging apps like WhatsApp, Signal and Messenger aren’t far behind — 23% find it hardest to stay off these chat apps. Next up is checking (work) emails at 12%, keeping up with the news at 6%, and streaming services at 6%. After that, 5% struggle most with not playing their favorite games and 2% miss online shopping the most.

Methodology

The survey on Americans’ screen usage was conducted by the research platform Prolific between June 16 and 18, 2025, on behalf of Jaxon.gg. The sample consisted of 2,000 respondents living in the United States. Of all respondents, 58% identified as female, 41% as male and 1% as non-binary. The average age of participants was 34.3 years.

The survey was conducted online and aimed to explore how screen usage during summer vacation differs from regular days. Respondents were asked, among other things, what time they typically check their phones for the first time on a “normal” day versus during vacation. They were also asked about their intentions to reduce screen time during summer vacation and which apps they find hardest to cut back on.

Due to insufficient data, the following states were excluded from the results: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont and Wyoming.