Britons feel 'cut off from the world' without internet

Mobile and laptop

Being left without a mobile phone or internet connection would leave more than have of the UK's adults feeling "cut off from the world," according to a new survey.

The study conducted by Opinium Research on behalf of moneysupermarket.com showed that these technological advances had more than half (59 per cent) of us dependent on them, although there were more worrying statistics to come.

Almost a third of respondents (30 per cent) claimed they would contact people less frequently without the connections but 14 per cent said they wouldn't even know how to keep in touch with friends and family without the two connections.

Julie Owens, broadband and mobiles spokesperson at moneysupermarket.com, said in a statement: "Mobile phones and the internet have become a way of life for millions of people and it is clear from this research that without these essential items, people would find it hard to contact friends and family and would worry about missing out on things."

Moneysupermarket claimed this dependence is as a result of "incessant use", with UK adults spending on average 68 hours a month online and a further seven hours a month on the phone.

It may not sound too much but when you add it up it equates to 34 days a year online and three-and-a-half days on the phone.

"Technology has developed so much over the last 10 years and the capabilities and functionality of phones and the internet have meant people are spending an increasing amount of time using them," Owens continued.

"Mobiles are no longer just used as phones and as a result people have become more and more dependent on them."

Jennifer Scott

Jennifer Scott is a former freelance journalist and currently political reporter for Sky News. She has a varied writing history, having started her career at Dennis Publishing, working in various roles across its business technology titles, including ITPro. Jennifer has specialised in a number of areas over the years and has produced a wealth of content for ITPro, focusing largely on data storage, networking, cloud computing, and telecommunications.

Most recently Jennifer has turned her skills to the political sphere and broadcast journalism, where she has worked for the BBC as a political reporter, before moving to Sky News.