FutureFive New Zealand - Consumer technology news & reviews from the future
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Sex vs. Smartphones... The battle for bedroom supremacy
Wed, 17th Jul 2013
FYI, this story is more than a year old

From the shower to the sack, have you ever tried full blown texting while having sex?

Well, at least 10% of us remain unwilling to part with our smartphone, even in the bedroom.

According to the new Mobile Con­sumer Habits study released by Jumio, smart­phone usage is so preva­lent in our everyday lives that nearly one in ten owners admit to having used their phone during sex.

Add in other unex­pected places such as the shower (12%), in church or other place of wor­ship (19%) and the bigger picture becomes clear - we are a slave to our devices.

“People view their smart­phones as an exten­sion of them­selves, taking them every­where they go – even the most unorthodox places – from the shower to their com­mute, from the dinner table to the bed­room,” said Marc Barach, chief mar­keting and strategy officer, Jumio.

Calling Dr. Love

Speaking of bad habits, “sex­ting” takes on a whole new meaning, with the young even more daring and com­fort­able with their smart­phones as strange bed­fel­lows; this number rises to one in five (20%) among those ages 18 – 34.

When even the most inti­mate of moments isn’t a cell phone-free zone, per­haps it’s no coin­ci­dence that 12% of respon­dents in a rela­tion­ship said they believe their smart phone gets in the way of that relationship.

You use your smartphone… WHERE?

“Panic sets in when con­sumers are sep­a­rated from their devices, with pri­vacy con­cerns top­ping the list," Barach said.

"People have good reason to be on high alert; nearly 30% of adults admit to snooping on someone else’s mobile phone, making users aware of the poten­tial vio­la­tions that happen when we put our own phones down.”

Conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Jumio, nearly three-quarters (72%) of respon­dents report being within five feet of their smart­phones the majority of the time, and admit they use their devices in some unusual places.

Nowhere seems to be off limits, with some adults using their smartphones:

• In a movie theater: 35%

• During a dinner date: 33%

• At a child’s or school function: 32%

• In church or a place of worship: 19%

• While in the shower: 12%

Despite the many warn­ings tied to the dan­gers of talking or tex­ting while dri­ving, more than one-half (55%) of admit to using their smart­phone while driving.

Keep off my phone

Though it’s not often far from reach, the most users (59%) keep their phone pass­word pro­tected. But people still fear what will happen if their phone ends up in someone else’s hands, which may be tied to the fact that nearly three in 10 adults (29%) admit to snooping on someone else’s phone.

When it comes to their pri­mary con­cern over losing their smart­phone, users are most wor­ried about:

• Theft of per­sonal information: 65%

• Losing con­tact with others: 58%

• Calls being made on their behalf: 39%

• Someone log­ging into their social profiles: 33%

• Someone using their mobile pay­ment options: 26%

What is the weirdest place you have used your smartphone? During sex? Tell us your experiences below