Average smartphone use by Indians is estimated to have risen 25 percent to nearly 7 hours a day as people rely on these devices to work / study from home and play amid the pandemic, according to a report.
The study, commissioned by phone maker Vivo and conducted by CMR, said the average time spent on smartphones in a day has been on the rise with average usage growing 11 percent to 5.5 hours in March. 2020 (pre-Covid) of approximately 4.9 hours. on average in 2019.
This has grown another 25 percent to 6.9 hours from April onwards (after Covid), according to the report titled ‘Smartphones and Their Impact on Human Relations 2020’. The report noted that since the lockdown, Indians have spent more time on their smartphone to work from home (75 percent increase), calls (63 percent increase) and OTT (on major services such as Netflix, Spotify, etc.) which has recorded a 59% growth in time spent on smartphones.
There has also been a 55 percent increase in time spent on social media and a 45 percent increase in time spent gaming on smartphones. Interestingly, the average duration of clicking images and taking selfies has increased from 14 minutes to 18 minutes in a day. The study included 2,000 respondents between the ages of 15 and 45 in the eight major cities (four metropolitan areas, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Pune) with 70% men and 30% women. Speaking to PTI, Vivo India’s director of brand strategy, Nipun Marya, said the company commissioned a similar study last year also on smartphones and their impact on human relationships.
“We all know that smartphones are a great tool, especially in a Covid situation where we would have become almost unproductive without smartphones … Excessive use of smartphones or anything else, however, when not use in moderation, it can cause adverse effects and this is why we did the study. ”Marya noted that there has been organic growth of smartphones from 2019 to 2020, but Covid has certainly accelerated some of the trends that would otherwise have grown much more slowly.
“In general, smartphones are a great tool, but what it leads to is a lot of addiction. For example, 84 percent of people check their phones within the first 15 minutes after waking up, and 46 percent of those surveyed said the phone at least five times in an hour-long chat meeting with friends, “he said.
Marya said that while consumption may drop from current levels as the situation eases around the pandemic, some of these changes could be permanent. Seven out of eight respondents said that people report their use of phones while they are with them.
The report said that people spend more time with their family with a 26 percent increase in the average time spent (from 4.4 hours before Covid to 5.5 hours after Covid), but the majority of respondents also agreed that that your smartphone use has had an impact. on the quality of time spent with loved ones. About 74 percent said they get cranky and irritable when they stop using their mobile phone, while 73 percent said they “feel compelled” to constantly check their smartphone.
About 74 percent of those surveyed agreed that it is important for them to have a life separate from their mobile phones, and about 73 percent agreed that they would be happier if they spent less time on their smartphones.
About 70 percent agreed that if their use continues at the current rate or increases, it is likely to affect their mental or physical health. About 74 percent of those surveyed said that periodically turning off mobile phone use can help them spend more time with family, and 70 percent agreed that mobile phone use is negatively affecting their relationships with women. people, especially with those near and dear.
“However, there is a clear gap between realizing that one must turn off their phones and actually turning off the device. As a brand, Vivo India aims to sensitize people to the benefits of ‘responsible use’ of smartphones through of the second edition of this study. “Marya said.