Adults spend one day a week online

A new survey has revealed that adult mobile phone users in the UK currently spend an average of one day per week (25 hours) online.

Ofcom has found that of those, 42 per cent say they go online or check apps more than 10 times a day, while around one in 10 (11%) access the internet more than 50 times daily.

Most internet users (59%) even consider themselves 'hooked' on their connected device - while a third (34%) admit they find it difficult to disconnect.

Many people are, however, facing up to the consequences of spending too much time online, and recognising how this can affect their work and personal lives.

Nearly half of internet users (49%) said they were guilty of 'connectivity creep' - spending longer online than they originally intended each day, while 37% said the same of social media.

As a result, almost half (48%) neglected housework; 47% said they had missed out on sleep or were tired the next day; while 31% had missed out on spending time with friends and family.

'Tech tardiness' was another reported side effect. One in five users (22%) admitted being late for a meeting with friends or family, and 13% late for work, as a result of being online too long. One quarter of teens (26%) had been late for school, while six in 10 teenagers (60%) said they'd neglected school work.

Perhaps as a consequence, many parents are limiting their children's time online. Six out of 10 (61%) teenagers who use a connected device such as a smartphone or tablet reported being digitally 'grounded', having had their device taken away, or its usage restricted.

People also reported a lack of 'netiquette' from strangers who can't seem to put their devices down. A quarter of UK adults (25%) complained that someone bumped into them in the street at least once a week because they were too busy looking at their phone.

Our attachment to our connected devices is also getting in the way of face-to-face communication, according to the research.

Four in 10 UK adults (40%) felt they'd been 'smart-snubbed' (ignored by a friend or relative too engrossed in their smartphone or tablet) at least once a week; while 17% said this happened on a daily basis.

The research also suggests some people are choosing to text or instant message friends and family instead of talking face-to-face, even though they're sitting in the same room. Just over a quarter of UK adults (26%) said this occurred at home, while a third of teenagers (32%) have done so at school.

Jane Rumble, Director of Market Intelligence at Ofcom said: "The internet has revolutionised our lives for the better. But our love affair with the web isn't always plain surfing, and many people admit to feeling hooked.

"So millions of us are taking a fresh look at the role of technology in our lives, and going on a digital detox to get a better tech-life balance."