Research shows people are snubbing friends for phones
Science says staring at mobiles now the norm thanks to rise of internet addiction
SNUBBING people to concentrate on your phone — or phubbing — is now a social norm, scientists say.
Researchers found ignoring pals while staring at a mobile screen is no longer seen as rude, with internet addiction responsible for phubbing’s rise.
Fear of missing out and a lack of self-control were also to blame, according to the University of Kent team.
They discovered that phubbers were very likely to have been phubbed themselves, making them view the behaviour as socially acceptable.
For the study, 276 smartphone users were asked how often they used their device, how often they had phubbed and been phubbed and how acceptable they thought it was.
The paper said: “It seems inevitable that people who are addicted to their smartphones will use their device uncontrollably, even if it is discourteous or a prohibited time and place to do so.
“Our study suggests that phubbing may have become the norm as a result of both observed and personal behaviour.
“People are phubbed, but they are also phubbers. People may assume others phub in the same way they do, perpetuating the behaviour.”
Previous studies have shown excessive smartphone use can damage relationships and limit people’s ability to interact face-to-face.
Women were slightly more likely than men to phub, with 32 per cent of those studied categorised as having a smartphone addiction, compared to 29 per cent of men.
The study appeared in the journal Computers in Human Behaviour.
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