MORE people in Northern Ireland own a smartphone and use it to get online than users in Britain.
Figures from communications regulator Ofcom show that the percentage of smartphone users in the first half of this year has jumped dramatically to 72 per cent - a nine per cent increase on the same period last year.
The increase is more marked in rural areas, with a 16 per cent rise in the last year.
Smartphone use has increased dramatically in the last five years. In 2011 just 21 per cent of users in the north owned a smartphone but now around one in seven people do.
And smartphone users in Northern Ireland are more likely to use their device to access the internet than anywhere in Britain.
Ofcom's communications market report found that 69 per cent of people in the north have gone online on their phone - and two-thirds have done so in the last week.
However, many have become concerned about the amount of time spent on the internet. More than a third of internet users have tried to go offline for a time - known as a 'digital detox'. And half of parents have tried to limit their children's time online.
A majority of users said spending time on the internet meant they were neglecting other areas of their life. Almost 60 per cent of users said they had neglected housework and 45 per cent said they had missed out on sleep.
Some people who took part in the report raised concerns about poor phone 'etiquette'.
One in seven complained that someone bumped into them in the street at least once a week because they were too busy looking at their phone.
The wide-reaching report covers how people access and consume services including television, radio and the internet.
Despite the rapid rise of the internet, television is still the most dominant form of media, with 97 per cent of us tuning in to television at least once a week.
Viewers in the north watch slightly more television than those in Britain. They spend an average of three hours 45 minutes watching TV, compared to the UK average of three hours 36 minutes.
People in the north are also more likely to opt for paid television services including Sky and Virgin. Almost three-quarters of homes pay for a television service, compared to 63 per cent in England and 71 per cent in both Scotland and Wales.
Although fewer people in the north listen to radio, a much higher number opt for local radio stations. Around 38 per cent of radio listeners chose local stations, compared to the UK average of 29 per cent.
