The average usage of smartphones increased in India owing to pandemic induced lockdown

Due to sudden lockdowns induces by the pandemic, people worldwide have turned towards technology to relieve themselves of boredom. But the sudden dependency on technology has proven to us just what major role devices like PCs and Smartphones play in our daily like.

According to a recent study conducted by CMR, the average usage of smartphones by Indians is estimated to have gone up 25% to almost 7 hours a day. It is mainly accredited to people’s increased dependence on gadgets for work/study from home and entertainment amid the pandemic.

The study conducted was commissioned by handset maker Vivo. And it stated that the average time spent on smartphones in a day has been on the rise, with average usage growing 11% to 5.5 hours in March 2020 (pre-COVID) from about 4.9 hours on average in 2019. The report titled ‘Smartphones and their impact on human relationships 2020’ was prepared and published by CMR.

The report further emphasized that the usage has grown by another 25% to 6.9 hours from April onwards (post-COVID). It indicated that since lockdown, Indians have spent more time on their smartphone for work from home. Whereas calling saw an increase in a 63% rise and OTT like Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc., has seen a 59% growth in time spent on smartphones.

“We all know smartphones are a great tool, especially in a COVID situation where we would have been rendered almost unproductive without smartphones…However, excessive usage of smartphones or anything else, when not used in moderation, can lead to adverse effects, and this is why we did the study.”

The study involved 2,000 respondents aged 15-45 years across the top eight cities, including four metros, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Pune. And it consisted of 70% male and 30% female participants.

“Overall, smartphones are a great tool, but what it is leading to is a lot of addiction. For example, 84% of people check their phones within the first 15 minutes of waking up, and 46% of respondents said they pick up the phone at least five times in an hour-long conversation meeting with friends.”

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