Public Policy Relevance Statement Feelings of overreliance on smartphones were hard to pin down clearly, partly as the devices were so central to productivity/function in users' everyday lives. Smartphones were disruptive regardless of users' personal "problematic use" scores. This article provides evidence of varied barriers to users' efforts to reduce smartphone use involving, illustratively, self-deception about having reduced usage levels and fears of social repercussions linked to reduced smartphone level engagement. Smartphone usage offers undeniable upsides (e.g., social connectivity and increased productivity). However, the ever-expanding utilities of smartphones have prompted debate around device overreliance, which has prompted interest in "digital detox," "technology pushback," and "disconnectivity." We report an in-depth qualitative exploration of perceptions of smartphone overreliance and experiences of attempting to modify usage (i.e., efforts to disconnect) among fourteen 18 to 30-year-old university students. Semistructured interview transcripts were subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis. A first theme-"It's like an addiction"-concerned the drift from valuing the convenience/productivity afforded by smartphones into feeling overreliant on devices. Overreliance could hinder meeting basic needs, limit time for valued pastimes and could unsettle feelings of agency. A second theme-"It's difficult to maintain abstinence"-concerned barriers to modification efforts, including fearing possible social repercussions, transferring attention to other Internet-affording devices, and self-deception. This article highlights how modifying habitual usage patterns may be challenging and encourages debate around how "smartphone overreliance" could be framed.
