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About 60 per cent of teenagers who owned smartphones described themselves as “addicted” to their handsets and around 71 per cent of smartphone owning teens have their device switched on all the time.
Some 34 per cent said they used the phone during meal times, while 47 per cent used it in the toilet or bathroom. About 27 per cent used their phones in venues such as cinemas, libraries and theatres where handsets are supposed to be switched off.
James Thickett, director of research at Ofcom, said the technology was raising challenges to social etiquette.
“There has always been a split between adults and teens over modern manners. Now it may not be just a generational gap but a question of the technology they use,” he said.
Despite much hype about the Apple iPhone over the past year, the BlackBerry is still the favourite brand of smartphone for younger teens, with 37 per cent owning one of these handsets, compared with 17 per cent with an iPhone. Smartphone users between 25 and 54, however, were more likely to have an iPhone.