Study: 30 percent of millennials use cell phones to avoid human interaction
How often have you glanced at your phone just to dodge small talk?
You’re standing in line at a coffee shop, and you notice that the person in front of you wants to chat. Do you:
• Offer a smile and engage in conversation;
• Apologize and explain you don’t speak with anyone until you’ve had coffee;
• Quickly glance down at your smartphone to avoid talking with the person?
If you chose the third option, you have something in common with roughly one-third of cell phone users ages 18 to 29. A recent Pew Study found that 30 percent of them “pretended to be using their phone to avoid interacting with the people around them.”
The report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project surveyed 2,277 adults via phone in April and May. It found that 83 percent of Americans own a cell phone of some kind; 35 percent own a smartphone.
Other notable findings from the study:
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