Mediaboss Marketing

LONDON, May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Intersperience reveals impact of 'constant connection' on under-18s

The majority of British teenagers who use mobile internet admit to feeling "addicted" to their smartphones and would rather give up television, Facebook and chocolate than their phone, according to a new study by international consumer research specialist Intersperience.

The study found that mobile addiction is on the rise across all age groups in the UK with almost half (48%) of adults admitting to feeling addicted, compared to 65% of under-18s. The addiction is being fuelled by a communications boom which has seen the percentage of the UK population regularly using mobile internet jump to 38% from just 24% in 2009.

Both teenagers and adults named their mobiles as the number one object or activity they could not live without. Teenagers were more willing to give up Facebook, television and chocolate than their phone while adults would rather live without make-up, alcohol, cigarettes and coffee than their phone.

The findings are drawn from Intersperience's 'Internet on the Move' project which researched mobile internet use across the UK, analysing the behaviour of 1,400 mobile users, including 400 aged between 12 and18. It is part of a series of research studies into the impact of the digital society on UK consumers.

Smartphone ownership is higher among under-18s (66%) than adults (58%) but the study found that both age groups have strong emotional connections to their phones. Respondents said they would be "agitated", "lost" and "panic-stricken" and many said they would cry if they lost their mobile.

More teenagers (60%) than adults (48%) would feel agitated if they did not have their smartphone for a full day and teenagers were also more likely to describe themselves as sad, helpless and lonely without their phones.

The study also revealed growing pressure on parents to buy mobiles for children at an earlier age - under-18s think a child should get its first mobile at age 10 to 11 while parents think it should be age 12 to 13.

Intersperience Chief Executive Paul Hudson said: "The rise in smartphone addiction stems largely from a significant increase in the percentage of people regularly using them to access the internet. This is particularly noticeable among under-18s and it is having a marked effect on their behaviour and emotions."

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Rising Internet Use Fuels Teen Smartphone Addiction