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Deloitte Smartphone

A third of Brits check smartphones within five minutes of waking up

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

September 4, 2014 | 3 min read

A staggering third of Brits are so dependent upon technology that they check their smartphones within five minutes of waking in the morning according to a mobile consumer report from Deloitte.

Elderly users were the least likely to show smartphone addiction

The survey of 4,000 respondents conducted in May 2014 found that eleven million tech-dependent smartphone users accessed their devices instantly in the morning - with two thirds of 18-24 year-olds making mobile checks within the first 15 minutes of their day.

Sleepy users most commonly checked their smartphones to see if anyone tried to contact them overnight.

A third of respondents checked their texts first thing in the morning. Email and social networks were less commonly accessed first, raking in a quarter and 14 per cent of respondents respectively.

Further data suggested that one in six smartphone owners used their devices over fifty times a day - with 24-year-olds the most addicted, clocking in an average of 53 checks daily.

A shocking thirteen per cent of individuals claimed were found to use their smartphones over one hundred times on a daily basis.

On the other end of the tech-dependency spectrum, 65-75 year-olds, on average, used their devices a meagre 13 times daily.

Jodi Birkett, TMT partner at Deloitte, said: “Mobile phones have clearly become something of an addiction for many and has led to some people looking to unplug their devices and undergo a digital detox.

“In the UK there are now digital detox camps where you surrender your phone to experience ‘life off the grid’, following the trend in Silicon Valley.”

Paul Lee, head of technology, media and telecommunications research at Deloitte, said: “The smartphone has rapidly become the device that many of us cannot live without.

“The demand for uninterrupted internet connectivity will increase as what we do with our phones becomes ever more important. Mobile operators need to ensure their networks can support these critical devices.”

Earlier this year, 89 per cent of consumers claimed that long-lasting battery life was the most important feature in new smartphones, according to a GMI study.

Deloitte Smartphone

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