More than a third of British adults and the majority of teenagers admit to being “highly addicted” to their mobile devices, according to a new UK study.
According to UK telecommunications regulator Ofcom's 2011 Communications Market Report, people have become rapidly reliant on new technology - and smartphones in particular, “to the point of feeling addicted”.
For smartphones, in particular, the report says: “In order to understand this relatively new marketplace in more detail, Ofcom commissioned an omnibus survey among a representative sample of 2 073 GB [Great Britain] adults to explore people's relationships with their mobiles - with a particular focus on looking at the differences between regular mobile phone users versus smartphone users.
“The report shows the influence that communications technology now has on our daily lives, and on the way we behave and communicate with each other,” says Ofcom's director of research, James Thickett.
Over a quarter of adults (27%) and almost half of teenagers (47%) now own a smartphone, and Ofcom says 59% have acquired their smartphone within the past year.
Smartphones are also reportedly cannibalising other leisure activities, with over half (55%) of all adult smartphone users, and over two-thirds (68%) of teenagers claiming to do activities such as taking pictures with a camera, using a PC for Internet access and reading a printed newspaper.
“Teenagers especially are ditching more traditional activities in favour of their smartphone, with 23% claiming to watch less TV and 15% admitting they read fewer books,” says Ofcom.
Antisocial
The research shows that over half of adults and two thirds of teenagers say they use their smartphone while socialising with others.
“Nearly a quarter (23%) of adults and a third (34%) of teenagers have used them during mealtimes and over a fifth (22%) of adult and nearly half (47%) of teenage smartphone users admitted using or answering their handset in the bathroom or toilet,” says the report.
The evident “addiction” to mobile devices and the increased amount of time spent using them, also translates into more money spent on them, which does have its benefits for the mobile market.
According to the report: "While it took 15 years for half of the UK population to get a mobile phone and 14 years to get multichannel TV, newer technologies such as online catch-up TV and social networking Web sites reached this landmark in just four years."
The report also studied the changes that have impacted the market within the last decade, and key findings include the fact that the number of mobile voice minutes has grown by 250% over the past decade (from 35 billion to 125 billion per year), and the number of text messages sent has increased by 2 000% (from seven billion to 129 billion) per year.
Widespread addiction
Ofcom's findings echo those of similar studies from other regions. A recent national survey conducted in the US in July, by GPS mobile app developer Telenav, also suggests the modern day attachment to smartphones may be bordering on excessive.
The survey, which was conducted among 514 US mobile phone users (all of driving age), found that smartphone users are more attached to their devices than feature phone users.
iPhone users were more likely than Android or BlackBerry users to opt to spend a week without their significant other, exercise or even shoes, rather than to go without access to their handset.
Twenty-two percent of all respondents said they would give up brushing their teeth over giving up their phone. According to Telenav, the figure jumped to 40% among iPhone users.
iPhone users were also willing to overlook the possible halitosis problems, and 83% stated they thought other iPhone users would make the best romantic partners. Seventy percent of Android users selected other Android users, while only 48% of BlackBerry users were love-struck by other BlackBerry owners.
Mobile madness
Other findings included that nearly half of respondents sleep with their phones next to them, including 38% of feature phone users and 66% of smartphone users.
Smartphone users were also found to be somewhat more materialistic and judgmental than their feature phone counterparts. According to Telenav, smartphone users were three times more likely to admit they judge people based on the type of phone they carry.
Smartphone users were also much more likely (42%) than feature phone users (15%) to say their phone reflects their overall sense of style.
One-third of all respondents would be more willing to give up sex for a week than their mobile phone; 70% of those respondents were women.
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