How many British Columbians are addicted to their smartphones?
Posted August 17, 2018 8:36 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Would you say you are addicted to your smartphone? If the answer is “yes,” how bad would you say that addiction is?
A new survey finds one in five (21%) British Columbians admit to being “addicted” to their phones, including four per cent who feel they have “an unhealthy addiction.”
Nearly half of those asked said while they don’t think they are smartphone addicts, their devices are very important in their lives. As expected, the percentage is higher among young adults (aged 18 to 34) compared to those aged 35 and up.
“Smartphone usage and influence has increased drastically since the last measurement we took in 2014, and the impact on our daily lives has been dramatic in every shape and form-from how we consume media, and how we entertain ourselves, to how we shop and conduct our financial transactions,” said Steve Mossop, president of Insights West.
“Unfortunately, there is a downside as well-self-reported addiction levels have increased, and the side effect of upheaval in the technology and marketing world has been dramatic.”
The amount of time we spend on our smartphones has also risen, overtaking the time spent on any other device — including TV or computers.
We also continue to expand the scope of what we use our smartphones for. The survey found in addition to texting and sending emails (for which the usage has stayed more or less the same), usage of fitness trackers has almost doubled. There’s been about a 50 per cent increase in the number of people who watch movies or do their online banking.
The number of people reading news online, having video chats, or recording videos have gone up by at least a quarter.
At the same time, we are guilty of several social faux pas related to our phones these days. Many admit to using their phones while out for a meal or during a meeting, class or presentation.
On the plus side, fewer people are self-reporting smartphone usage while driving.
The vast majority of people in B.C. have a smartphone now. The survey finds 85 per cent of adults have one, which marks a 25 per cent growth over the last four years. The percentage is 95 per cent among young adults.
Over the same period, landline ownership has fallen by a similar proportion. The survey suggests only three in five people in B.C. still have a home phone.
