A research study by OfCom, the UK communications regulator, says that children and adults are becoming addiction to smart phones. Apparently, 27% of teens use phones in areas where they’re not supposed to while about 20% of adults admitted to using phones when they’d been asked directly or indirectly to switch them off. 25% of adults and 50% of teens now own a smart phone in Britain.

The report also says that smart phones (as opposed to regular mobiles) are raising a series of questions about social etiquette and manners and are also altering work-life balance. About 16% of adults admit to talking calls on holiday while 33% of teens will use a smart phone during family meals. 40% of teens would also answer a phone at night even if they were asleep. Most worrying is the impact of reading – something I write about in Future Minds. 15% of teens say they are reading fewer books due to the use of smart phones.

Full report here.