British adults’ reliance on technology has reached such a degree that they now reach for a gadget every 16 minutes on average, according to a recent study.
A survey of 1,000 British adults published by ElectricTobacconist.co.uk as part of the UK Gadget Usage Report 2017 revealed that the average Briton owns two gadgets – such as smartphones, tablets and Fitbits/activity trackers – and utilises these, on average, 60 times per day.
Smartphones were relied upon the most by a long way, and are used 47 times – or every 20.4 minutes – per day.
Tablets fell into second place, and are used 13 times each day – or every 1 hour 13 minutes.
Activity trackers such as Fitbits, MP3 players and vapes were used less frequently but still every day by those who use these gadgets.
ElectricTobacconist founder and chief executive Pascal Culverhouse said: “It’s amazing to see just how huge a part in our lives a lot of forms of gadgets and technology now play in our minute by minute lives – never mind day to day. Looking at this data, British adults are unable to go even ten minutes without using a gadget, with smartphones being the most commonly utilised.
“However, given how sophisticated gadgets such as smartphones have become, it is not entirely unsurprising – in 2017 smartphones fulfil so many different requirements and possess a multitude of functions beyond simple telecommunications. From navigation and internet browsing, to calculations, photography and entertainment, users can find a valid reason to use them to fulfil a huge number of tasks and needs.”
According to the data, women use their gadgets most frequently, reaching for them an average of 66 times per day – or every 14.5 minutes – compared to men who do so 54 times each day – or every 17.7 minutes.
18-24 year olds have the heaviest gadget habits – reaching for technology more than 124 times per day – and seemingly have gadgets almost permanently at their fingertips, using them every 7.7 minutes every day.
