Smartphones: some surprising stats.

Smartphones: some surprising stats.

The smartphone is becoming a must-have item we can’t live without, recent research by Ofcom suggests.

New night-time companions.

Eight in ten smartphone users never turn off their device, even when they are in bed, according to the 2011 Ofcom Communications Market Report. 

What’s more, even if their phone wakes them, 38% of adults and 60% of teenagers admit to using it before going back to sleep.

‘Do you mind?’

And it seems people can’t leave their smartphones alone in situations where we might consider a bit of browsing rude or inappropriate.

More than half of adults and two-thirds of teenagers said they have used their smartphone while socialising – with nearly a quarter of adults and a third of teenagers also admitting to using their device during mealtimes.

That might be shocking to some people but it’s nothing compared to the 22% of adults and 47% of teenagers who confessed to using or answering their phone in the toilet or bathroom.

Too busy texting?
 
Smartphones seem to be changing people’s behaviour, too. Teenagers in particular admit to ditching more traditional activities in favour of using their smartphone, with 23% claiming to watch less TV and 15% saying they read fewer books.

The rise and rise of the smartphone shows no sign of slowing down.

More than a quarter of adults and almost a half of teenagers have now made the switch to these sophisticated hand-held computers – with most of them (59%) having done so in the past year. 

Taking all the findings into account, it comes as little surprise that 37% of adults and 60% of teenagers believe they are ‘highly addicted’ to their smartphone.