## Step 2 - Reading

#### Smartphone addiction

You are going to read a text about smartphone addiction.

- Read the text and do assignment 1.
- Read the text again and do assignment 2.

####

Facebook and Twitter fuel iPhone and BlackBerry addiction, says Ofcom. Regulator says half of British teenagers and 25% of adults now have smartphones as sales outstrip regular mobiles. Ofcom (the UK government communications regulator) says one in three adults, and most teenagers, classify themselves as highly addicted to their smartphones such as iPhones, Blackberrys and Androids. Britons' appetite for Facebook and social networks on the go is driving a huge demand for smartphones - with 60% of teenagers describing themselves as "highly addicted" to their device - according to new research by the media regulator, Ofcom. Almost half of teenagers and more than a quarter of adults in the UK now own a smartphone, with most using their iPhone or BlackBerry to browse Facebook and email. Smartphone sales outstripped sales of regular mobiles in the first half of this year as the enormous demand continues to rise. Just over half of the total 13.6m mobile sales from January to June 2011 were smartphones. Of the new generation of smartphone users, 60% of teenagers classed themselves as "highly addicted" to their device, compared to 37% of adults. Ofcom surveyed 2,073 adults and 521 teenagers in March this year. The regulator defines teenagers as aged between 12 and 15, with adults 16-years-old and above. "Ofcom's report shows the influence that communications technology now has on our daily lives, and on the way we behave and communicate with each other," said James Thickett, Ofcom's director of research. "Our research into the use of smartphones reveals how quickly people become reliant on new technology - to the point of feeling addicted. As more and more people acquire smartphones, they are becoming an essential tool in peoples' social lives whether they are out with friends socialising or using Facebook on the move." Facebook remains far and away the most popular website for mobile users, with users spending almost four times the amount of time socialising online than using Google or any other website. Unsurprisingly, multitasking teenagers said they were less likely to read books if they owned a smartphone. The huge boost in smartphone sales has led to a 67% increase in mobile data use as phone users watched videos and sent emails on the go. Mobile operators, such as O2 and Vodafone, have been put under huge strain by the new load. Despite being a nation of mobile addicts, Ofcom found that Britons are spending more time in front of the TV (four hours a day last year, compared to 3.8 hours in 2009). The new generation of broadband delivered by fibre-optic cables is now available for 57% of UK households - though just 500,000 have adopted it. Those who own games consoles are most likely to use it for watching video content (22%), online gaming (22%), and watching DVDs (19%). Just over one in 10 said they browse the web via their games console, while 9% use it to watch BBC iPlayer. Britons sent an average of five text messages a day last year, contributing to a total of 129bn texts sent - up by 24% in 2009. Adapted from an article by Josh Halliday, The Guardian, Thursday 4 August 2011

#### Assignment 1

Copy and fill in the grid (on your own) and discuss the answers in your group.

What information do you get about: (use key words)
smartphone use teenagers |
smartphone use adults |
smartphone sales |
survey |
popular websites |
conclusion article |