A new study suggested young Londoners are the worst in the UK when it comes to their screen habits. Research carried out by Magnum UK on 2,000 people aged between 18 to 34 found the average London resident spends an eye-watering four hours and 18 minutes uninterruptedly glued to their screens before taking a break to eat, drink or even go to the loo. This length of time spent online equals to watching with no interruption three 90-minute football games back to back.

Those in the North East and South East came jointly second in the list of young people most fixated with their screens.

The study claimed the Gen Z and Millennials in these areas spend on average 4 hours 6 minutes online before taking a break.

The study also shed a light on the steps taken by people across the country to make sure users take regular breaks when on their phones, laptops and so on.

Almost a third of those in Scotland, 32 percent, said they take to unplugging all electronic devices while 36 percent of the people in Yorkshire and Humber opt to use timers to regulate their Internet and screen use.

In Northern Ireland, 78 percent of residents want businesses to do more to alert users to take a break from the virtual world, the study said.

In this nation, the report also found, 89 percent of those surveyed said to be fearful about the potential negative effects spending too much time online could have on the social skills of future generations.

Setting clear boundaries between life online and offline seems to be a problem in particular for those in the East Midlands, with 14 percent agreeing to this statement, followed by the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber, both gathering 12 percent of similar answers.

Worryingly, across the nation, 71 percent of young people believe most of our future lives will be spent in the virtual world.

To help create a healthy balance between Britons’ lives on and off the screen, Magnum partnered up with mental well-being neuroscientist Dr Jack Lewis to launch the Magnum Pleasure Guide.

This includes a 20-point guide aimed at helping Britons to enjoy pleasure both on and offline through easy steps and tips.

Among the suggestions given are taking a 10-minute break from screens every hour and using this time off to practice some eye yoga.

Avoiding the “watch the next episode” button available on most streaming services, which makes it easier to just remain seated and remain glued to the screen, is also one of the suggestions included. Moreover, Dr Lewis said phones, tablets and laptops should be banned from the bedrooms.

Dr Lewis, author of Sort Your Brain Out, said: “While the virtual world has its own appeal, nothing quite compares to the joys of the real world. That is why I have worked with Magnum to curate my top tips for living your most pleasurable life both on and offline.

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“Whether you take a break from screens, try yoga exercises for your eyes or avoid that tempting ‘watch the next episode’ button, I hope these guidelines help you strike that elusive, sought-after balance between your virtual and physical life.

He added: “Interesting almost three-quarters (71 percent) of young Brits believe that we will spend most of our lives in the virtual world in the future.

“Despite this, nearly three in four (74 percent) of those surveyed believe spending more time online will result in future generations failing to enjoy the pleasures that life has to offer. Therefore, it is vital that we strike a balance between on and offline to ensure our lives are full of pleasure.”

To support the launch of this campaign, Magnum released a short film featuring a virtual avatar, Luna, and her journey to escape the metaverse to experience real-life pleasures.

Learn more about the campaign on @magnum on Instagram and @magnum_icecream on TikTok.

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