Everybody Hates When You Use Your Phone at Dinner

“This “always-on” reality has disrupted longstanding social norms about when it is appropriate for people to shift their attention away from their physical conversations and interactions with others, and towards digital encounters with people and information that are enabled by their mobile phone”, said Lee Rainie, Pew’s director of internet research.

We’re obsessed: Yes, it’s fine to keep your cellphone on you all the time.

When asked for their views on how mobile phone use impacts group interactions, 82% of adults say that when people use their phones in these settings it frequently or occasionally hurts the conversation.

Many Americans view cellphones as harmful and distracting to group dynamics, even as they can’t resist the temptation to use their phones.

While most Americans think using a cell phone at a restaurant, during family dinner, in a meeting, at the movies or at church is not OK, 89 percent said they used their phone in their most recent social outing, according to Pew.

As you probably guessed, younger people (i.e., those who grew up with cellphones) are less bothered by the trend. For example, 77% of Pew respondents believe it is generally OK to use a phone when walking down the street; 75% say it’s OK when on public transportation; and 74% agree it’s OK when waiting in a line. Meanwhile, 33% say that cell phone use in these situations frequently or occasionally contributes to the conversation and atmosphere of the group.

Very few people said they used their phones in an attempt to no longer be engaged socially. They are also more likely to use them in social settings and tolerate their use.

The survey of U.S. adults showed that 92 percent had a cellphone.

“Along with being more tolerant than their elders about cellphone use in public, younger adults also tend to use their phones for a wider range of purposes while out and about in public”, according to Pew. About 90 percent of them say their phone is always with them.

A smaller number – 16 percent – said they turned to their small screen because they had lost interest in the group.

“We’re in the middle of this enormous social transformation where the rules of the road aren’t clear and so they’re constantly being negotiated”, he said.

It seems cell phone etiquette is alive and well in America. More than half (52 percent) of cell phone owners ages 18-29 say that they frequently use their phone to look up information about where they are going while out in public, compared with 9 percent of cell users 65 and older who do this frequently.

Cell phones allow us to connect the world over with literally anyone.