Never has the world been more connected, nor the average life more screen-dependent. It’s getting out of balance.

According to a 2018 Nielsen Total Audience Report, the average American adult spends 11 hours daily interacting with media — that’s smartphones, iPads, games, computers and TVs combined.

Beyond work and necessary communication, it seems we can’t get enough content. Or can’t get away from it.

Here’s one most could admit to: Mindlessly checking the phone several times a day, even when not expecting anything important.

Not a good sign.

Pew Research Center reports 67 percent of smartphone owners admit to checking for messages when the phone didn’t vibrate or ring. According to the American Addiction Centers, that’s a major sign of phone dependence, and should serve as a warning sign.

While smartphone addiction isn’t yet listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, experts think it will be; research has compared it to gambling addiction. And as 90 percent of Americans own one, it’s potentially more rampant.

Signs of addiction: The AAC says four or more of these indicate potential cellphone addiction. See if any sound uncomfortably familiar.

1. Mindlessly passing time often with your phone even though there might be better or more productive things to do.

2. Tried and failed to use it less often. Worse, using it more often than before.

3. Preoccupation with your smartphone; interruptions (looking at it during conversations, concentrated work, family time, dinner, etc.). Is your phone next to your plate? In bed? On a date or during kid-time?

4. Spending more time texting, tweeting, or emailing than talking “live” to people.

5. Picking it up when feeling anxious or depressed (ironic, because it’s been linked to causing both).

6. Losing a sense of time while using it.

7. A relationship or job at risk due to excessive cellphone use.

8. “Needing” the latest model, more apps.

9. Withdrawal: Feeling angry, tense, depressed, restless or irritable without it, even for short periods.

Physical Effects: The ACC warns smartphone overuse is linked to physical problems including:

1. Digital eye strain: Pain/discomfort, burning or itching, blurred vision, and possible headaches

2. Neck problems, a.k.a. “text neck”

3. Increased illnesses due to germs. One in 6 cellphones has fecal matter on it (!) with E. coli bacteria, which can cause fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. Some phones have been found to be contaminated with MRSA.

4. Car accidents. Who hasn’t been behind a weaving, texting, distracted driver? Research indicates texting and driving can be just as dangerous as drinking and driving.

5. Male fertility. Evidence on this is still scant, but some studies between 2007 and 2018 suggest cellphone radiation may decrease sperm count and viability, at least a little.

6. Sleep problems: Even if you don’t keep it on and close during sleep (beyond the light disturbance, another addiction sign), using it before sleep increases insomnia and potential anxiety.

7. Anxiety. Speaking of which, research in young adults found that those who used their cellphones the most were the most likely to feel anxious.

OK, so if we aren’t too far gone yet, how do we crack phone addiction? Step one is honest self-awareness. One New York Times reporter took a hard look at his smartphone obsession and shared the journey of how he “unbroke his brain” — which he described as life-changing.

Look for it in Thursday’s column.

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Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network who misses rotary phones and conversations without distraction. But admits the #*%! thing is typically nearby. Contact her at Sholeh@cdapress.com.