Sunday, September 25, 2016

Mobile phone use 'causes rows among third of UK adults'

Mobile phone use 'causes rows among third of UK adults'
  • 26 September 2016
  • From the section Business
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    One in three UK adults has argued with their partner about using their mobile phone too much, according to a survey by Deloitte.

    The rows were most common among 25-34 year olds the report found, while 11% of over 65s admitted arguments about overusing phones.

    Four out of five UK adults now have a smartphone - equivalent to 37 million people - Deloitte said.

    Smartphone users now outnumber people with laptop access for the first time.

    'Anti social'

    Deloitte's sixth annual Mobile Consumer Survey analysed the mobile phone habits of more than 4,000 UK consumers.

    About a tenth of respondents admitted using their handsets "always" or "very often" while eating at home or in restaurants.

    And a third said they regularly used their devices while with friends or watching television.

    "Smartphones can enhance social lives, but overuse can be perceived as anti-social, and cause arguments," said Paul Lee, head of technology, media and telecommunications research at Deloitte.

    "They are personal devices, but their usage impacts those around them. As with most emerging technology, consumers will need to learn how best to run their lives with smartphones, as opposed to having their lives run by their devices."

    One in three UK adults - and half of 18-24 year olds - said they checked their phones in the middle of the night, with instant messaging and social media the most popular activities.

    Meanwhile, one in ten smartphone owners admitted reaching for their phone as soon as they woke up - with a third grabbing the device wi thin five minutes of waking.

    'Peak smartphone'

    But despite the popularity of handsets, the report warned the smartphone market was reaching saturation point.

    Growth in new users slowed to 7% in the year to June 2016, from 9% in the previous 12 months.

    And according to the study, only a fifth of adults using feature phones said they planned to trade up to a smartphone.

    "It is clear from our research that we are reaching an age of 'peak smartphone'", Mr Lee said.

    "Given the market saturation, in the next 12 months, we expect smartphone penetration to rise modestly, perhaps by no more than two or four percentage points,"

    But while producers of some other handheld gadgets have struggled to persuade users to keep buying newer models, this is not a problem phone manufacturers will face, the report predicts.

    "Smartphones will not suffer the same fate as tablets. The replacement market is likely to remain healthy, and given the sizeable base of exis ting owners, smartphone sales are likely to remain in the tens of millions for the foreseeable future," Mr Lee said.


    Source: Mobile phone use 'causes rows among third of UK adults'

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