With 39% of young adults reporting phone addiction, we knew that there was a bit of an epidemic of phone use but new statistics released this week from the sexual health experts at Lloyds Pharmacy Online Doctor have us incredibly concerned for Brits and our relationships. Both with our phones and our sexual partners.
So, on average, Brits spend around 3.34 hours a day on their phones, adding up to almost 25 hours weekly or 100 hours monthly. While these figures are pretty shocking (and we won’t be commenting on our own screen time), the impact of screen time on relationships is huge.
We’re Checking Our Phones DURING Sex?!
Many of us are guilty of checking social media just before bed despite countless reports saying it affects our sleep quality but for some of us, it’s much more than a quick scroll at bedtime. While 1 in 4 spend more than an hour on their phone in bed with their partner, 1 in 8 have checked their phone during sex and 1 in 12 have posted on social media during or immediately after having sex.
It’s quite unsurprising, then, that 45% of Brits say that social media has negatively impacted their relationships and 30% of Gen Z Brits saying that they feel less confident after using social media. This isn’t helped by 1 in 11 men admitting that they’re less likely to have sex with their partners after looking at influencers.
Dr Sarah Bishop, Clinical Psychologist, advises: “If you feel like social media is negatively impacting your relationship, try to express your feelings calmly and respectfully, letting them know if their actions hurt you and that you value their attention and presence during sex.”
1 in 4 Brits Believe A Digital Detox Would Help Their Relationship
58% of respondents admitted that they’d chosen technology over sex on multiple occasions for reasons including being too tired to have sex, not feeling confident with their bodies, too stressed from work and even enjoying streaming TV shows and movies more than having sex.
However, despite all of this, many of the respondents do acknowledge that their relationship with technology is unhealthy and 22% of Brits saying they’d like to take a digital detox to improve their relationships with their partners. Perhaps surprisingly, the generation most inclined to take a digital detox is Gen Z – 28% of Gen Z respondents admitted they’d like to take one.
Benefits Of A Digital Detox
It’s fair to say that many of us really need to log off for a while to enjoy the real world and our relationships with our partners. Speaking to Lloyds Pharmacy, Hector Hughes, Co-Founder at off-grid cabin escape Unplugged highlighted the benefits of taking a digital detox which include:
- Increased creativity and sexual health
- Better sleep quality which improves sexual health
- Enhanced emotional connections with your partner
If you need us, we’ll be trying to detach ourselves from our phones.