Smartphone users ‘addicted’, survey reveals

THE BlackBerry has been jokingly referred to as the “CrackBerry” for some time — now new evidence has emerged of how smartphone “addiction” is affecting the way people behave.

Research for British telecoms regulator Ofcom has shown more than a third of adults and a majority of teenagers classify themselves as highly addicted to their smartphone, including the iPhone, Blackberry and Android phones.

Smartphone owners are more likely to have their phones switched on 24 hours a day and are more inclined to flout requests to switch the devices off in cinemas and theatres than regular mobile phone users, the report for the communications regulator found.