Smartphone etiquette: are you guilty of this one annoying habit?

Have you heard of ‘smartphone dining’? (Fork in one hand, phone in the other…)

We’re all guilty of using our phones at the dinner table from time to time, but a new study proves that we hate to see others doing the same. Analysis into British attitudes towards dining etiquette has confirmed there are double standards when it comes to behaviour using phones in restaurants.

The survey by mobile network testing company Global Wireless Solutions confirmed that the British are hypocrites when it comes to using smartphones at the table.

Their key findings revealed:

71% of admit to using their phones at the table.

But 83% of those who do get annoyed when others do the same.

It turned out that 6 of the top 10 ‘irritating’ restaurant habits are phone-related – including talking loudly on the phone and taking selfies at the table

According the to survey this is what participants deemed the most annoying habits in restaurants:

Top 10 most irritating habits when in restaurants

• Someone talking loudly on their mobile phone at the table next to you

• When a dining companion is on their phone messaging or browsing social media

• When children are too noisy

• When parents give their phones to children to watch videos

• When people take lots of selfies on their phone

• When people show too much PDA at the table

• When people take photos of their food

• When camera phone flashes go off frequently

• When people use a toothpick at the table

• When people insist on moving tables or chairs to accommodate their party

Dr Paul Carter, CEO of GWS said: ‘Whether screen-time at meal-time is to your taste or not, there’s no denying it’s become a normal part of life. Rather than only being used for “critical communications” such as checking emails or answering emergency calls, we’re seeing people reliant on a connection to carry out a range of activities which are becoming more socially acceptable, even when eating.’

The results build on from tests that GWS conducted last month which revealed the mobile network performance inside and outside the most popular Instagrammable restaurants in London. The results based on scientific testing around real-life usage showcased that O2 and EE had the highest number of successful call attempts in restaurants and O2 also had the highest data success rate for uploading and downloading files successfully.