Young people cut down smartphone use, saying they waste too much time on them

'It’s too late to put the genie back in the bottle – phones are too entwined in our everyday lives'

The more people depend on their smartphones, the more they seem to suffer from their presence (iStock-Ridofranz )

For the first time, young people have started using their smartphones less than they were before.

New research from Kantar TNS has recorded a small decline in smartphone use amongst 16-24-year-olds.

Pensioners, meanwhile, are spending far more time on their mobiles now than they were last year.

People aged 16-24 now spend an average of 3.8 hours a day on their phones, according to Kantar TNS.

That represents a small decrease from last year’s average of 3.9 hours per day.

34 per cent of young people also believe they spend too much time on their phones, and say they want to cut this down.

However, this age group still spends significantly more time looking at smartphone screens than any other, with the average use time across all generations being 2.4 hours per day day.

Smartphone use amongst pensioners, meanwhile, has increased significantly over the past year, rising from an average of 36 minutes per day to 54 minutes per day.

“It’s too late to put the genie back in the bottle – phones are too entwined in our everyday lives, so we’re not likely to see many young people taking the radical decision to ditch them,” said Michael Nicholas, Kantar TNS’ global lead of connected solutions.

“However, there’s clearly a conflict between our perceptions on phone usage and acting on it.”

According to the research, the overwhelming majority – 94 per cent – of 16-24-year-olds have a smartphone, and young people open a smartphone app every 15 minutes.