Ivy Ong-Wood

Hongkongers love their smartphones - and can't resist using them even at work.

A survey of 1,000 Hong Kong residents in June by online language learning app Preply found that over 70 percent admitted to spending up to four hours daily on personal phone activities during work hours.

Not surprisingly, tech-savvy Generation Z and millennials are the biggest culprits (close to 70 percent), followed by Generation X (57.1 percent) and Baby Boomers (21.7 percent).

So addicted are they that 60 percent check their smartphones on public transportation, in bed, and while eating or in restaurants.

Slightly over a third even admit to using their phones in the toilet.

People spend the most time on their phones for entertainment: playing games (29.7 percent), watching videos (28.1 percent), browsing social media (27.5 percent), listening to music or podcasts (22.7 percent) and chatting (20 percent). This indicates that the more entertainment options available, the more reliant people become on their phones.

This frequent phone use is associated with negative effects like fear of missing out, sleep disturbances, as well as phantom vibrations and feeling anxious when their phone was not within reach.

Furthermore, more than 20 percent had missed public transportation stops and in-person conversations due to phone distractions. Alarmingly, almost 10 percent confessed to risky behaviors such as texting or browsing while driving, showing the significant risks of excessive phone use.

For more information, go to https://preply.com/en/blog/phone-addiction-in-hong-kong/

ivy.ong@singtaonewscorp.com

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