1 in 10 millennials would rather break a bone, than their phone

Here’s a question: Would you rather break a bone or give up your phone for the day?

This might come as a surprise, but ten per cent of Millennials would defy all common sense and opt for the former.

That’s according to new insight from tech repair specialist iSmash, which reveals the extent to which Brits are reliant on their mobile devices, and measures the emotional response that occurs when their device breaks.

Over 95 per cent admitted to reacting badly to breaking their phone, with 58 per cent feeling annoyed, 45 per cent feeling angry, and 40 per cent getting angry.

The research further uncovered the extent to which Brits would go to keep their devices in working order, with immediately repairing a broken phone more important than: meeting friends for dinner for one in six, paying bills for one in ten, and buying food for the week for an additional one in ten.

The average Brits spends 3.81 hours on their phone per day – and this increases to 4.71 hours for those aged between 25 and 34 and a staggering 5.57 hours for 18 to 24 year olds.

When asked what they would rather do than give up their phone for just 24 hours, the results further highlighted the extent to which technology dominates our lives now.

One in seven Brits (13.6 per cent) would rather get all their hair shaved off, one in five (19.6 per cent) would prefer to repeatedly scrape their fingers down a chalk board, and almost two in five women (37.3 per cent) would rather go without make up.

The data also revealed the increasing role mobile devices have in our personal lives, and the strains that they can put on relationships.

Two thirds of Brits (63.35 per cent) sleep next to their phone for more than four days of the week, and 21 per cent sleep do so more often than they do their partner.

Half of Brits (47 per cent) have had arguments with their partner because they spend too much time on their phone, and 59 per cent regularly use their phone at the dinner table whilst eating with others.

“Our mobile devices are increasingly becoming part of our lives,” says Julian Shovlin, founder and managing director at iSmash, “and nothing highlights that better than the fact that a huge portion of the population would prefer to break a bone than go without their phone for 24 hours.”