One in five spend three hours per day on social media

One in five people spend as much as three hours on social media every day, it has been claimed.

There is a gender split on the issue too, with almost a quarter of women spending between one and three hours on social media, compared to just one in five men.

Research for Liberty Insurance by Millward Brown found that women and men differ as to how they feel about their phones.

Over half of the women said they felt panicky, desperate or even sick if they find they have left their mobile at home by mistake, compared to just one in three men.

Older people are not as bothered as younger people about leaving the phone behind when they go out. The survey found that just 31% of people aged 55-plus felt upset if they forgot their phone, compared to 64% of 17 to 29-year-olds.

While most people own smartphones ( 81%) and laptops (79%), just one in ten have their gadgets insured.

It emerged that more than half those surveyed (59%) had lost or damaged smartphones.

The research found 30% of those surveyed had cracked the screen of their smartphone.

The Irish like to talk a lot – they spend on average 31 minutes on mobile calls every day.

However, the cell phone is a source of amusement too with adults spending 25 minutes a day gaming on their device.

Director of personal lines at Liberty Insurance, Deirdre Ashe, said the survey found that 29% had either lost their phone or dropped it in the toilet.

According to gardai, mobile phones worth over €3m were stolen over the last 14 months, and most were smartphones.

“Most people don’t realise the number of gadgets they carry around with them on a daily basis or take on holidays, so it makes sense to get insurance,” said Ms Ashe.