Are you guilty of aimlessly scrolling on your phone when you could be engrossed in a good book? An online tool has been developed that reveals the novels you could have read in the time spent on your phone.
By inputting the amount of time you spend browsing content on your phone, the tool informs you of the literary works you could have completed instead with classics such as Dracula, Dune, and It making the list.
The tool follows a survey which discovered that the average smartphone user typically spends over two hours a day on their device – equating to two-and-a-half days a month.
In this time, if reading at a pace of 250 words per minute, they could finish F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby in less than a day or Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace in about nine.
The tool and study, which found adults typically read a book in 12 days, was commissioned by TCL following the launch of its 50 Pro NXTPAPER 5G smartphone which switches between a smartphone and an e-reader.
Spokesperson, William Paterson, commented: “It is clear people are keen to read more often but instead spend downtime scrolling mindlessly on their phone usually with no end goal in sight.”
“The tool is a great way to find out the amount of reading you could achieve in that time and how for example just 10 minutes less scrolling a day could result in reading so many pages.”
The study uncovered that a quarter of adults have trouble disconnecting from the digital world, with this challenge being particularly prominent among 18 to 24 year olds.
Many young adults, even those who frequently read books, acknowledge they often catch themselves aimlessly scrolling through their phones.
For this age group, breaking away from emails, social media, and other digital channels can be a challenge. Many put this down to from their reliance on digital platforms for communication and entertainment while a quarter worry about missing out.
In an attempt to reduce their time spent online a notable 38 per cent have imposed restrictions on their social media activity.
Mobile phone usage tends to spike when people are on the move, but more than half are inclined to read a book at home to de-stress.
The survey reports an average of seven books read by an adult this year; however, the main obstacles to reading more are lack of time, motivation and energy.
To put emphasis on the findings, William Paterson, TCL UK & Ireland Country Director, commented: “We know many people struggle to read as much as they would like to, and it can be hard to pick up a book and stick to it.”