Half of Brits use their mobiles to call people in the next room

A new study has offered insight into our startling dependence on smartphones with almost half of the population admitting they use their mobile to call people in the very next room.

According to a new study conducted by the Halifax Insurance Digital Home Index, nearly 50 per cent of the 2,500 adults questioned admitted that they use their handsets to call, text and email those they know when they are in the very next room, avoiding the need to move and conduct in face-to-face communication.

One of a number of figures that have highlighted our growing reliance on portable technologies such as smartphones, tablets and laptops, the recent study also discovered that three quarters of Brits would struggle to make it through a single day without their lifeline gadgets.

Suggesting that the ever increasing reliance on technology is leading to the breakdown of relationships, experts have warned of the implications excessive use of mobile devices could have.

“As the amount of time spent looking at a screen or plugging in increases, the amount of time spent on direct eye-to-eye contact and developing real life relationships inevitably decreases,” Psychologist Dr Aric Sigman said.

Offering an insight into the growing problems, Dr Sigman added: “By the age of seven years, the average child born today will have spent one full year of 24 hour days watching screen technology; by the time they reach 80 they will have spent almost 18 years of 24 hour days watching non-work related screen technology. That’s a quarter of their lives.”

Further detailing the growing influence smartphones have on our daily lives, the Halifax findings revealed that whilst 25 per cent of Brits check their emails and messages whilst in bed, ten per cent said their use their handsets whilst in the bathroom.

With the average British man owning £4,294 worth of tech devices, marginally more than the standard woman with £4,058, the study also showed that, surprisingly, twice as many of the people questioned said they would be more upset about losing their smartphone than if their wedding ring or engagement ring went missing.

Is your smartphone your most coveted possession? Do you use it to message people in the next room? Let us know via the TrustedReviews Twitter and Facebook feeds or through the comment boxes below.