A staggering 68% said that in the course of the day, they looked at their phones more often than at their partners.

The research looked at South Africans’ relationships with their phones and aimed to determine the prevalence of FOBO (Fear of Being Offline) and PSA (Phone Separation Anxiety).

The results of the study show that we are way too dependent on our phones. 74% of people said they can’t leave the house without their phones. 71% said that they preferred sharing their life through their phone (social network, texting, and calling) than face to face. And 77% admitted that they checked their phone regularly without reason.

“The problem is real, we are addicted to devices and it’s not healthy. So we felt it was our duty to try and help – because that’s what we do,” says iFix Founder and CEO Alex Fourie. “Every day we are confronted with the ugly side of this problem: cracked screens, water-logged phones and generally just abused devices. In addition to repairs we’ve launched some innovative new products like Plus (a repair service and membership program), RiCharge (a public charging facility provider) and Houdt (a range of wooden protective covers by local designers), to help customers deal with the fallout of the problem.”

To coincide with the campaign iFix also launched the World’s First Mobile Unit to test the prevalence of FOBO and PSA.

More findings from the study

  • 56% of people said the first thing they do in the morning is check their phone;
  • 54% said they check their phone more than 3 times an hour;
  • 18% said they check their phone more than 10 times an hour. That’s almost twice every 10 minutes for an hour;
  • 48% almost half said that they socialise most on their phones;
  • 52% said they spend more than 3 hours a day on their phone;
  • 13 % said they spend more than 10 hours a day on their phone; and
  • 54% admitted to getting annoyed or agitated when someone else used their phone.

To find out what your FOBO and PSA results are, click here.

For more information on iFix, visit www.ifix.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.