Some 93pc of Irish consumers own or have access to their own smartphone – and they pick up their phones 55 times per day on average, a new survey has found.

The annual Mobile Consumer Survey from Deloitte revealed that 97pc of the 1,000 participants have access to some form of mobile phone.

Carried out by Ipsos MORI among a sample of people aged 18-75, the results also suggest that access to tablets among the over 65 market has grown from 57pc in 2017 to 70pc in 2018.

The number of over 65-year-olds with access to an e-reader has also increased from 30pc to 45pc, the survey found.

While the survey found that Irish smartphone users check their mobile at least 55 times per day, some 13pc of participants admitted to checking their phones over 100 times a day.

Over half of Irish smartphone users believe they use their phone too much, compared to 39pc in the UK.

With apps, 73pc of people have used mobile or online banking on their phones this year so far- compared to 68pc last year.

Of those, a further 39pc use fingerprint recognition to unlock their device and authorise transactions.

Meanwhile, at least 8 in 10 people admitted to being concerned about how online companies share their personal data with third parties.

Commenting on the findings, Head of Technology, Media and Telecommunications at Deloitte, Richard Howard, said that Irish people are finally coming to terms with their “over-reliance” on their phones.

“In the 2018 Deloitte Mobile Consumer Survey we have started to see a balancing in our addiction to smartphones,” Mr Howard said.

“Irish consumers appear to be recognising the over-reliance we have on our devices, and are beginning to make conscious efforts to reduce screen time.

“2018 is also the year where we are finding the phone starting to replace cash and cards as a primary means of payment, which highlights how the smartphone has become intertwined into our daily lives.”

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