Daily habit proves Aussies can be pretty filthy

There’s a daily habit that 67 per cent of Aussies are guilty of doing and it is quite disgusting.

Not to be alarmist, but our obsession with our mobile phones has made us all a bit gross, poorly mannered and Gen Zers aren’t helping things.

More than 50,000 Australians recently participated in news.com.au’s Great Aussie Debate survey, revealing their opinions on everything from work, politics and dating, to using your phone on the toilet and wearing shorts in the office.

Their answers, which can now be revealed, have resulted in a snapshot of how the average Aussie thinks, feels and lives in 2023, with some results more surprising than others.

One of the questions asked of participants was whether they use their phone on the toilet, to which 67 per cent of participants said yes – 20 per cent of those, however, admitted to lying about the bathroom habit.

The younger you are the more likely you are to take your phone into the bathroom with you, with 86 per cent of participants aged between 18-29 admitting they are likely to do it.

A person on their smartphone while on the toilet isn’t uncommon. Picture: iStock.

The survey also found 10 per cent of both male and female participants admitted to using their speaker phone in public, with Gen Zers being the main culprit and being 83 per cent more likely to do it than a Boomer.

Community advocate Matthew Brereton said that Aussies taking their phone to the toilet wasn’t just “poor etiquette” but “unhealthy”.

Plus, he pointed out there’s always a risk.

“You also face the risk of dropping the phone into the toilet,” he said.

Aussies are addicted to their phones. .picture John grainger

He was equally unimpressed with the use of phones on loud speaker and warned Aussies that it was a massive social mistake. He called it “extremely” poor etiquette.

“The loudspeaker option on your mobile phone should only ever be used when you are alone and in a place where you cannot be heard by others,” he advised.

In fact, Mr Brereton has a slew of places where he says you should never bring your phone.

“Never place your phone on the dining table. Don’t text while in meetings or in social settings. Don’t take calls while in meetings or social settings. Not cleaning your phone – dirty phones are offensive to others.”

And the list goes on. “Don’t overcheck your phone – this is rude,” he said.

Gen Z are most likely to use loud speaker in public. Picture: iStock

OK, so we should all be using our phones way less. What should we do? Well, if you want to break the toilet habit, Mr Beatson advises starting off slow.

“Remove apps from your phone to reduce the need for you to check or use it. Social media is a big problem for phone users,” he advised.

He also said in “extreme cases” you should actually hand your phone over to someone else to help break the cycle.

“You can give your phone to someone else to hold, or even put in place phone-free days. This may be difficult if you need your phone for work purposes but limiting use can be a good way to restore some order to your phone use.”

Gen Zers seem to be the most attached to their phones and the most willing to bring them anywhere or pop them on speaker but it is not necessarily their fault.

YouthInsight research director Anna Denejkina said acceptance of generational differences was important.

“Previous research has shown that younger generations demonstrate less strict concepts when it comes to phone etiquette,” she told news.com.au.

“Like with any technology, it’s not unexpected that there would be variations in how different generations view and use these technologies.”

Dr Denejkina said she wasn’t overly surprised that young people were more comfortable with using their phone on speaker in public, noting that different age groups use technology in differing ways.

“What is accepted and normalised in one generation can be different in others,” she said.

“The data here is showing that difference, but this doesn’t suggest that one generation is correct or incorrect in their use, and what they view as acceptable.”

She noted that it was important to forego judgment, generational shaming or bashing in any form when it comes to technology use.

“Each generation has its traits or even eccentricities when it comes to technology; it’s just about accepting these generational differences,” Dr Denejkina said.

Originally published as Daily habit proves Aussies can be pretty filthy