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The population of the UK scrolls more than 209 million miles a year on their smartphones, a study has found.
The research, commissioned by Tesco Mobile, found that individually, we scroll 5.149 miles per year on our phones. The collective miles we scroll per year are enough for a round-trip to the sun, or 27,000 times round the coast of the UK.
We accumulate this mileage by spending, on average, 177 minutes per day on our phones. 80% of this time is spent reading, which increases the scroll rate.
The research, conducted by data scientist Leo Qin, analysed the length of smartphone screens over which thumbs move when we scroll, as well as how many words fit on a screen.
Using figures on the amount of words we read on smartphones each day, he was able to calculate the average scrolling distance.
Qin says these numbers are likely to increase: “Given how central smartphones and mobile services have become to our lives, it’s not too surprising that the total number is so staggering and it will certainly increase in coming years.
“If we find ways to efficiently conduct business using only smartphones, then the amount that we swipe, and the words that we read, will increase even more into the future.”
