Britons spend more time using technology devices than they do sleeping – but for the first time since 2013, spend less than four hours a day watching TV.
New research from communications regulator Ofcom said UK adults spend an average of eight hours and 41 minutes a day on media devices, compared with the average night’s sleep of eight hours and 21 minutes.
On average, people spend three hours and 52 minutes watching TV, and although this is the first time daily TV viewing has dropped below four hours since 2010, it is still more than the combined time spend on mobile phones, landlines and the internet.
2,800 UK adults and children were surveyed for the research, with particular focus placed on 12 to 15-year-olds.
Only 8 per cent of the age group said they used email, while just 3 per cent said they communicated using a landline phone.
Younger people were also found to have an advanced understanding of technology devices, with six-year-olds having the same level of knowledge as the average 45-year-old.
However, the rise of digital formats has also not convinced the vast majority of Britons to get rid of their physical media collections.
Some 84 per cent of UK adults surveyed by Ofcom said they had a book collection and a similar number said they owned music CDs.
Meanwhile, four out of every five people said they had a DVD library – a figure that has stayed roughly the same since 2005.
However some forms of traditional media are suffering from the rise of digital.
When asked which form of media they would miss most, just 2 per cent of those aged 16 or older said they would feel the absence of newspapers or magazines.