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<\/p>\nA psychology expert has shared some top tips ahead of Halloween for the 42% of Brits who experience \u201cnomophobia\u201d \u2013 the fear of being without their phone.<\/p>\n
A survey of 2,000 adults found that 45% would consider it a nightmare to go for just one day without their mobile phone \u2013 with smashing their phone screen ranking among Brits' top three modern-day fears.<\/p>\n
It emerged that the average adult uses their mobile phone for 14 hours a week \u2013 with three in ten even carrying around a charging cable, in case their device runs out of battery.<\/p>\n
And 27% often fear running out of mobile data \u2013 while having no signal or service, and being stuck somewhere with slow Wi-Fi, also ranked among the top 20 fears in today's world.<\/p>\n
Over half of the top 20 modern terrors were tech-related, with two in ten believing such fears were scarier than traditional horrors, like roller coasters (24%), heights (38%), and spiders (31%).<\/p>\n
In fact, almost a quarter (23%) would rather hold a tarantula, and 14% would go swimming with sharks, before giving up their mobile device for a week, according to the research, commissioned by Sky Mobile.<\/p>\n
And one in five are now more scared of being \u201cghosted\u201d on a dating app, than the thought of real ghosts this Halloween.<\/p>\n
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It also emerged that many consider it critical to relying on their mobile phone for things like staying in touch with friends and family, online banking, directions, and reading the news.<\/p>\n
And three in ten (29%) believe their biggest fears have changed in the last five years, according to the figures.<\/p>\n
Paul Sweeney, for Sky Mobile, which offers 99% network coverage and Piggybank data rollover each month, said: \u201cWe use our phones for everything, from keeping on top of life admin, to staying connected to our loved ones \u2013 so it\u2019s no wonder that being left without data and losing phone signal can seem scary to Brits.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sky Mobile is working with expert psychologist, Linda Papadopoulos, to offer advice for self-confessed nomophobes this Halloween.<\/p>\n
Linda said: \u201cIt\u2019s no surprise to me that over half of the fears in the research are tech-related. These fears are a product of how much we rely on our tech, and how, for many of us, it\u2019s key to not only our work, but our social lives and identities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reason that we're less afraid of being bitten by sharks than losing our phones speaks to how entwined our phones have become with our day-to-day lives. We feel that so much of our lives are bound up with our technology, and we can\u2019t see a way forward without it.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom connecting with friends to engaging with colleagues, from dealing with boredom to planning and creating, our phones are no longer just phones, but, in a sense, digital prostheses \u2013 so it can seem terrifying to think of not having this tech at our fingertips.\u201d<\/p>\n
LINDA PAPADOPOULOS\u2019 TOP TIPS FOR HOW TO COMBAT NOMOPHOBIA:<\/p>\n
TOP 20 MODERN DAY FEARS:<\/p>\n