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People cannot unplug from the machine

by on29 June 2017


New report into tech addition 


A third of people in an online survey of 17 countries say that they find it difficult to take a break from technology even when they know they should.

The findings from global research experts, GfK, show that, internationally, gender makes next to no difference in people's struggle to turn off their devices or 'unplug' from technology, with nearly equal percentages of both men and women agreeing they find it difficult.

However, the different age groups and income groups show distinct differences in susceptibility to being 'always on' with younger age groups struggle most with technology addiction

Teenagers (15-19 year olds) are the most likely to struggle with technology addiction, with just under half (44 percent) firmly saying they find it difficult to take a tech break, even when they know they should.

This dips to 41 percent for those in their twenties and to 38 percent for those in their thirties. It then falls significantly for the older age groups - standing at 29 percent of those in their forties, 23 percent for those in their fifties and 15 percent for those aged 60 and over.

Those aged 50-59 and 60+ age groups are the tipping point, where there are higher percentages who firmly indicate they have no problem turning off their technology, than percentages saying they struggle to take a break.

High income households show biggest gap between those finding it easy or difficult to take tech breaks.

For people living in high-income households (across all 17 countries), 39 percent find it difficult to take a break from technology, even when they know they should, while 11 percent find it easy - a gap of 28 percentage points. This contrasts to those in low-income households, where 30 percent find it difficult, while 20 percent find it easy - a gap of only 10 percentage points.

China and the Americas have the highest percentages who find taking a technology break difficult. Germans lead in finding it easy.

At country level, China (43 percent) has the highest percentage of online population who strongly agree that they find it difficult to break from technology. This is closely followed by the Latin American countries surveyed (Brazil 42 percent, Argentina 40 percent, Mexico 38 percent), with the USA coming fifth (31 percent).

On the other side, Germany has the highest percentage (35 percent) of online population who strongly disagree that taking a break from tech is difficult. This is followed by the Netherlands (30 percent), Belgium (28 percent) and Canada and Russia (both 27 percent).

GfK's findings show where the key markets lie at a number of levels - from brands offering the latest devices targeting happily 'always-on' consumers, to brands offering 'quality time' services that resonate with people who like to break from technology.

Last modified on 29 June 2017
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