Web Surfers Hooked On Using Mobile Devices

The average person uses some form of internet-connected device 34 times a day, a survey has revealed.

It said more than half of mobile owners turn to their phone rather than have "downtime", and more than one in three check their handset when there is a lull in conversation.

The report from the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) drew on 700 hours of video footage from consumers wearing FishEye cameras.

They took a picture every five seconds over a three-day period, revealing that those surveyed picked up or used a connected device such as a mobile phone, laptop or tablet on average 34 times each day.

Those who took part in the study averaged a total of two hours and 12 minutes a day using a connected device, while for 46% of this time they were using at least two devices, and sometimes three, simultaneously.

More than half of mobile phone users (52%) said they prefer to check it if they have any "downtime" rather than sit and think.

The figure rises to 62% among 18 to 30-year-olds.

More than one third (37%) said they check their phone if there is a lull in conversation with friends, while 44% said it makes their commute more enjoyable.

And one in six (17%) mobile owners said their phone had played some role - either browsing, researching or buying - in a purchase made in the previous fortnight.

IAB director of research and strategy Tim Elkington said: "One thing that stood out in the study was how surprised respondents were when told how frequently they'd looked at their phone, tablet or computer."

Dr Simon Hampton, a lecturer in psychology at the University of East Anglia, said: "People's inability to leave their phones alone is the newest addition to common displacement behaviours such as smoking, doodling, fiddling with objects and picking at food."

:: Firefish polled 1,376 UK adults in September.