We’re a nation of “digital detoxers”
Feel like you're suffering online overload? You're not alone.
Some 15m Britons – a third of the country – say they have gone on a so-called digital detox to escape their connected devices, according to a comprehensive new survey of the nation's digital habits.
A quarter of digital detoxers said they did it for a day, while one in five disconnected for a whole week. A further five per cent went offline for an entire month.
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More people who had made the decision to switch off felt all the better for it afterwards – however, some reported what's come to be known as "fear of missing out", or Fomo.
We spend 25 hours a week online on average, the equivalent of a day a week, according to Ofcom's annual market report.
Three in five consider themselves hooked to their devices and just over a third say they find it hard to disconnect.
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And that's having an impact on our daily lives, with one in five admitting being online had made them late to see friends or family, while13 per cent had even been late for work.
The research also found the use of instant messaging is on the rise, while email and texting declined.