Brits can't get through dinner without checking their mobile phones

It’s official, most Brits can’t get through dinner at home without checking their mobile phone.

Our addiction to technology is so bad that the majority of us can’t manage to sit down to dinner without checking our phones, with new research suggesting that more than half of people look at their phone even while dining out with friends or family.

According to a YouGov poll, 55% of respondents said they checked their phone during dinner, while 53% said they look at their phone even when dining out with friends or family.

More than half (54%) said they could not go more than two days without their device before it bothered them.

The research also suggested that two thirds of mobile phone users (65%) check their phones while in bed despite sleep issues having been linked to the blue light emitted by phone screens and other devices.

The research was carried out to mark YouGov’s partnership with the new The Future Starts Here exhibition at the V&A Museum, which examines Britain’s increasing addiction to mobile devices and how it is changing human interaction.

There is an ongoing debate about the impact of mobile phone use, with both Google and Apple responding with the introduction of usage tracking tools and screen time limiting features, while there are also national campaigns like Scroll Free September.

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Russell Feldman, director of digital, media and technology research at YouGov said: “It will have escaped no-one’s notice that smartphones are taking over our lives.

“Across the land, the sight of heads bowed over small screens is now ubiquitous.”

He added: “But what our research shows is just how attached to our mobile phones we really are – and perhaps without even realising it.

“We can only speculate on the impact this is having in terms of our relationships with colleagues, friends and even close family – but our survey does suggest that traditional conversations are being discarded, in favour of checking our latest email, notification or message.”