Mobile phones leading to bad manners

A recent survey of US adults by Intel has found that mobile phone users are forgetting their manners.

People have become more prone to anti-social and illegal behaviour while using a phone, such as texting while driving and talking loudly in public places.

Intel reported that 91 per cent of respondents reported individuals exhibiting rude or dangerous behaviour while using a mobile phone. Common complaints included using handsets while driving and walking.

Respondents also reported individuals talking on handsets in inappropriate situations. Some 48 per cent had encountered a person using a handset in a public toilet, and 32 per cent while in a cinema.

Less common complaints included using a laptop while driving, and using a mobile phone while on honeymoon, a situation spotted by nine per cent of those surveyed.

"New digital technologies are becoming a mainstay in consumers' lives, but we haven't yet worked out for ourselves, our families, communities and societies what all the right kinds of behaviours and expectations will be," said Genevieve Bell, Intel Fellow and head of interaction and experience research.

"Our appropriate digital technology behaviours are still embryonic, and it's important for Intel and the entire industry to maintain a dialogue about the way people use technology and our personal relationships with technology as they continue to help shape societal and cultural norms."

Studies have estimated that texting while driving can increase the risk of an accident by a factor of 20.