Mobile and tablet addiction has more than doubled since March of last year, according to a report by mobile analytics firm Flurry.
Analysing data from half a million apps over more than a billion devices, the company found that the average user launches apps ten times per day as of March 2014.
Based on that number users were divided into three groups: regular users who launch apps less than 16 times a day, "super users" who launch apps between 16 and 16 times a day, and addicts who launch apps more than 60 times a day.
The results, shown in the graph below, indicate the steepest rise in mobile and tablet usage in the last year was from the addict group, though in absolute terms the increase was higher elsewhere.
Women were overrepresented in the addict category when measured against general device usage, with an estimated 15 million more female than male phone addicts.
In what many will regard as an unsurprising finding, teens and people in their early 20s were overrepresented compared to their general usage as addicts, with seniors underrepresented.
Adults aged 25-34 were less addicted than their younger counterparts, a fact attributed to them being "predominantly single", more active socially than other groups and their having "just entered the workforce".
Another surprising finding was that middle aged parents appeared to be heavier users than teenagers, leading Flurry to suggest that devices owned by them were often shared among family members.
Describing the "persona" of the mobile addict, Flurry highlighted the heavy presence of mothers, male car enthusiasts, with gaming, parental and education use high in both groups.
