The results are hardly surprising since Singapore has one of the highest smartphone penetration rates

You are on a date and your partner pulls out their smartphone right when you are about to tell them about the new job promotion you received.

Sounds familiar? For Singapore, this is a pandemic problem — which is hardly surprising, when you consider Singapore has one of the highest smartphone penetration rates in the world.

According to an Intel Security survey conducted among 1,000 individuals in Singapore ages 18 to 55+, half of the respondents felt their partners paid more attention to their online device when they were together one-on-one, essentially becoming a sort of “third-party” in their relationship.

Even when on a first date, where potential partners usually have to work extra hard to make a good impression, at least 1 in 3 respondents reported having to compete with their date’s device for attention. Very sad!

However, even though smartphone addiction may cause potential friction in the relationship, only 36 per cent of respondents said they do not set rules regarding the usage of online devices when in bed.

And only 31 per cent said they set device rules while outside.

Also Read: Singapore’s dating app Paktor relaunches in South Korea as ‘ Swipe’

However, 14 per cent of respondents said they have gotten into an argument with their partner over using of online devices during an intimate/romantic moment.

Regarding another thorny issue – password sharing, about a third of Singaporeans are comfortable with that; the rest are, thankfully, of sounder mind (I’m just kidding).

28 per cent of couples share passwords to social media accounts, and 24 per cent share passwords to personal email accounts. 18 per cent of respondents also said they share their work specific devices and accounts with their partners.

So, for lovebirds in Singapore, the best gift you could give your partner this Valentine Day would be to kick that chronic smartphone obsession. Don’t make the country’s declining birth rate any worse.

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Image Credit: ocusfocus / 123RF Stock Photo

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