And that’s despite 97% saying it’s not an acceptable thing to do
· New research from Save the Children reveals the UK’s social rule-book is being re-written as the nation thinks texting whilst talking to someone is considered to be more rude than being late or not giving up a seat for someone in need
· 2.4 million Brits admit they ‘would not be able to cope’ if they accidentally left their phones at home
· Save the Children is launching ‘Phoneless Friday’ on Friday 7th October to encourage the UK to put down their phones & get offline for the day to help transform the lives of children around the world
The British penchant for good manners and socially appropriate behaviour is renowned the world over, but new research from Save the Children reveals that the rising number of smartphone users is changing our view of bad etiquette.
Texting whilst talking to someone (64%) is now deemed to be ruder than being late (54%) or not giving up a seat for someone who needs it (63%).
Most shockingly, whilst 97% of people said dumping someone via text message was unacceptable; over 4 million people admitted it had happened to them.
When it comes to bad phone etiquette and our biggest bug bears, talking loudly on the phone on public transport (66%), texting at the dinner table (53%) and hearing music from other people’s phones (46%) are considered some of the top phone no-nos.
The nation’s biggest phone fails include 17% of people who admitted walking into something when using their phones, with one in ten missing their stop on public transport because they were distracted by their handsets.
Sending an embarrassing text to the wrong person (19%) and getting drunk and regretting a message that has been sent were also highlighted (18%).
Save the Children launches Phoneless Friday on Friday 7th October, a cheeky challenge to try and refresh the nations’ manners by going offline for a day with the potential to rediscover the forgotten phenomena of face to face conversations.
There are over 43 million smartphone users in the UK, and a recent OfCom report revealed that people are spending over 24 hours a week online and sending a whopping 262 million texts a day.
It’s therefore easy to see why 2.4 million Brits admitted they ‘would not be able to cope’ if they accidentally left their phones at home.
Dom Joly, Save the Children ambassador and infamous giant phone user, says: “We first introduced ‘Big Phone Guy’ on Trigger Happy back in 2000 as a spoof character. There was something cringe worthy but recognisable about him– we’ve probably all had a phone conversation a little too loudly or walked into something because we’re texting. Phoneless Friday is giving people the chance to get back to the simpler time of pigeon carriers and paper map reading, whilst feeling great about ignoring your friends because it’s all for an incredibly worthy cause”
Nick Jones, Director of Fundraising at Save the Children, says: ‘Phoneless Friday is a fun, new fundraiser to challenge people to get their friends together, give up their phones for one day, and donate £5 to Save the Children. Whether at work, at home or in the pub, we’ve all got that one mate who is glued to their phone so it’s about watching them squirm as they long to check Instagram, or watching them try and work out how to get somewhere without their map app. All you need to do is grab some friends – hopefully the competitive ones who are also glued to their phones – and go to phonelessfriday.org.uk to pay £5 to take part”
