Study finds women are spending more time online than men

RESEARCHERS have found that mobile phone addiction is so severe 20 per cent of adults start using it within five minutes of waking up. But it’s how often we look at our device that is alarming. Are you addicted to your phone? Vote in our poll.

3 min read

August 3, 2018 - 12:00AM

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EVERY 12 minutes, every day — that’s how often the average smartphone user looks at their screen.

Researchers have found that mobile phone addiction is so severe 20 per cent of adults start using within five minutes of waking.

For the first time, women are spending more time online than men, with those aged between 18 and 24 the most dedicated, according to the UK study into “digital dependency”.

Six in 10 people in the survey commissioned by telecommunications regulator Ofcom said they could not live without their smartphones. Almost half admitted spending too long online and even more said that relying on devices was disrupting relationships with family and friends.

For the first time, women are spending more time online than men. Picture: Supplied

The wide-ranging report also revealed two-thirds described the net as an essential part of their lives, with the average adult spending 24 hours online each week.

The report described society as “always on”, singling out the arrival in 2007 of Apple’s iPhone as a key moment.

One woman interviewed in the survey said: “I am sleeping a lot less than I would be if I did not have a smartphone.”

We have become so dependent on our phones, many are using it behind the wheel. Picture: Liam Kidston

Another reported: “I don’t need to go to the shops any more, I do everything online.”

On average, women spend 33 minutes more a day than men on smartphones. Among 18- to 24-year-olds the gulf was even greater, with men devoting two hours and 50 minutes a day to their devices, compared with three hours and 40 minutes for women.

Similar gender gaps were seen in all age groups. Previous studies have shown that women were more hooked on social media content. They were also more likely to use websites to buy clothes for children or for the weekly shop.

Almost every generation is becoming addicted to a device. Picture: Supplied

Politicians described the changes in the past five years as a social revolution.

“The obsessive use many people indulge in is a worry, particularly younger people,” said MP Norman Lamb. “There is this sense of no escape, 24/7. It inevitably has an impact on productivity because people, whether they are in business, politics, the media, everyone is looking at social media during their working day.”

When researchers asked adults how they would react to being cut off the internet, 10 per cent said they would feel liberated. The same proportion admitted they would be “more productive”.

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