Everyone's seen people using smartphones when they shouldn't - like walking and texting on a busy sidewalk, looking up factoids during family dinner, or checking their Twitter stream while "trying" to get to sleep. Well, according to a new study, that's nothing compared to where some Americans are using their mobile devices.
On Thursday, Jumio, a mobile credentials management company from Palo Alto, California released the study, which was conducted by Harris Interactive, called 2013 Mobile Consumer Habits. The study reveals that Americans are so attached to their smartphones that they have used them in what many would think of as very, very inappropriate situations, like at church, or while having sex.
According to the company's blog post revealing the new survey's data, the 2013 Consumer Habits study shows an important fact about the lives of American adults in the 21st century - "we can't part from our most treasured devices."
The study shows that almost three quarters of Americans, specifically 72 percent, say that they near their smartphones - at least within five feet - most of the time now. Respondents to the survey admitted to some other surprisingly tech-dependent behaviors.
Over a third of respondents (35 percent) said they've used their smartphone in a movie theater - a statistic that will probably drive ushers insane. Another 33 percent of adults said they've used their smartphone during a dinner date, which only seems acceptable if you're showing off pictures of your latest vacation or something similar. Also dubious is the 32 percent of adults that say they've used their smartphone at a child's or school function - hopefully only to video-record the moment for posterity.
You'd think that would be enough, but there's more crazy statistics showing how attached some people are to their smartphones:
- 55 percent of adults admit to using their smartphone while driving, which is illegal in most states and extremely dangerous anywhere.
- 19 percent admit to using their smartphones in a church or place of worship: just remember that Google is watching everything you do.
- 12 percent of Americans use their phone in the shower, but hopefully in their cases, it's one of the waterproof kind.
And for the most outrageous smartphone usage statistic of them all:
9 percent - nearly one in ten smartphone users you've seen - say they've used their smartphones while having sex. As Jumio's release puts it, "'sexting' takes on a whole new meaning."
Young people, aged 18 to 34, were apparently even more comfortable with their smartphones, as more than double that number, 20 percent, of youths have used their smartphones during the most intimate of moments.
The 2013 Mobile Consumer Habits study looked at some of the reasons for the American obsession with their smartphones, and found that worry, for one reason or another, is a major factor. While 59 percent of Americans keep their smartphones password protected, they still worry about their information.
- 65 percent worry about theft of personal information.
- 33 percent worry about someone else logging into their social media profiles, while at the same time, 29 percent have admitted to snooping on someone else's phone.
- 26 percent are worried about someone using their smartphone's mobile payment options.
- 39 percent worry about calls being made on their behalf.
The 2013 Mobile Consumer Habits survey was conducted during June 13-17 with 2012 U.S. adults online, aged 18 and over. For information on the survey, and a few more mind blowing statistics, check out Jumio's blog.