The Uswitch survey of 2,000 people also found that nearly 70 per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds prefer text messages to phone calls.

Talking on the phone is normal for older generations.

Dr Elena Touroni, a consultant psychologist, explains that because young people didn't develop the habit of speaking on the phone, "it now feels weird as it's not the norm".

This can make young people fear the worst when their phone starts ringing (or silently lighting up because no one under the age of 35 has a loud ringtone).

More than half of the young people who responded in the Uswitch survey admitted that they thought an unexpected call means bad news.

Psychotherapist Eloise Skinner explains that anxiety around calls comes from "an association with something bad - a sense of foreboding or dread".

"As our lives get busier and working schedules more unpredictable, we have less time to call a friend simply to catch up. Phone calls, then, become reserved for the important news in our lives, which can often be complicated and difficult."

Younger people never respond to unknown numbers as "it's either scammers or cold callers" so it is safer to ignore the calls instead of sifting through to find out which ones are legitimate."

But not speaking on the phone doesn't mean young people aren't in touch with their friends. Our group chats ping throughout the day with a mixture of banal messages, memes, gossip and, more recently, voice notes.

In the Uswitch survey, 37 per cent of 18-34s say voice notes are their preferred method of communication. In comparison, only a per cent of 35 to 54-year-olds prefer voice messages over a call.