British women use smartphones 100 times a day and worry more about social media than cancer

The average British woman will use her smartphone up to 100 times a day, according to research.

A new study shows millions of ladies are so addicted to technology they will tweet, text or email friends, colleagues and family from the second they wake to the moment they close their eyes.

Some women are so obsessed with dipping in and out of social media they check Twitter, Facebook, Skype and WhatsApp up to 34 times a day.

The average female has to check a text message within three minutes of hearing the phone beep - even if this means stopping a conversation halfway through or running from another room.

Researchers found a fifth of women have such an unhealthy dependency on the mobile they are more frightened about losing it than they are of finding a lump in their breast - or worse, dying.

A spokeswoman for the Nestle Fitness, which conducted the research to encourage women to check their breasts as part of the #HandsOn breast cancer campaign, said: “Our research highlights that too many of us forget to check our breasts.

“We know early detection can save lives and prevent breast cancer , so this month we’re campaigning for women to take one simple positive action - a self-breast check.

“This fun campaign asks women to post an image on social media of themselves getting #HandsOn. It’s a simple and light hearted way to spread an important message.”

The study shows the average female will send out nine text messages, eight emails and three tweets every day.

In addition she will visit Facebook on 13 occasions, either to post a status update or like and comment on someone else’s news feed.

Timehop will be used twice as girls take a nostalgic look back at historical events.

Ladies who enjoy keeping abreast of the daily news will go onto Sky and other relevant sites at least four times in a day and in a bid to capture the day’s events will take six photos and use Instagram four times.

Women like to communicate with friends and acquaintances across a number of channels, and as such use WhatsApp seven times a day, Skype twice, Messenger five times and Twitter twice.

Researchers found 65 per cent of women will literally roll over in bed and check the phone as soon as they open their eyes, with three quarters doing one final check before turning the lights out.

Nearly half admit they would think nothing of using the phone when someone is talking to them - while a third have been known to take the handset to the toilet so they can reply quickly.

Another one in 10 have pulled over in the car to take a call or answer a text, while the same percentage have checked a message while driving.

Thirteen per cent of people have reached for the phone from the shower or bath, and one in 10 would ignore the children in favour of answering a girlfriend’s text.

But this urgency for checking the phone is not reciprocated when it comes to health matters.

One in 20 women reckon they ignored an illness for far too long because they were too preoccupied with their mobile phone, and 47 per cent of women acknowledge they waste time by being glued to their phone.

The research also showed that a breast exam is one of the most forgotten ‘checks’ that women do - whereas ladies would never ever forget to check their phones.

Perhaps more importantly, 45 per cent of ladies simply aren’t bothered about forgetting to check themselves, but 68 per cent would be mortified if they forgot to check their phone.

The research confirms that if women were as knowledgeable about their breasts as they are about Facebook or Twitter, they would have much less to worry about as potential life threatening illnesses could be identified so much earlier.

To get involved with the #HandsOn campaign this October, post an image on social media of yourself getting #HandsOn to encourage self-breast examination.