3/4 of the UK population sometimes use a connected device when watching TV

"Three-quarters of the British population use a connected device while watching TV, a trend that rises to 93% in the under 25 age range, according to a new report from Google that highlights the rise of smartphone adoption.
The Google Consumer Barometer Report, a five-year study that includes 625 thousand interviews with consumers around the world, finds that in the UK three in four people now use a smartphone, a number that has nearly doubled in five years. The average Briton uses 3.3 internet-connected devices.
The proportion of daily internet users has increased from 56% in 2012 to 68% today. What's more, the public increasingly looks to the internet when they need information, with 84% of consumers choosing the internet over other mediums.
But the rise of smartphone usage has not eclipsed the use of desktop; 65% of respondents said they access the internet the same amount on smartphone as computer. That’s almost twice as many as in 2012, when the number was 35%.
Two in five Britons use a computer, a tablet and a smartphone, compared to one in ten people five years ago. On average, the British use 3.4 internet-connected devices, an increase from 2.3 devices in 2012.
More than half of the British public prefer to do a task digitally is they have a choice; with half of smartphone users choosing their phone as an alarm clock. For one third of the public the smartphone is their primary source of news and music."

Source:  Google Consumer Barometer, reported by The Drum, 27th February 2017

Time spent with media in the UK by age - with and without simultaneous activity

Source:  Ofcom's 2014 Communications Market Report, released 7th August 2014
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79% of Britons multi-screen

"According to a new study by GAME, millions of Brits are now ‘double screening’ regularly, by watching television whilst playing computer games or texting and tweeting from a mobile phone or iPad at the same time.
Researchers found that our love of interacting and sharing with others during TV shows has led eight in ten Brits to now use a phone, tablet or laptop to share their opinions online about the programme they are viewing.
Almost half also admitted to triple screening – watching TV at the same time as texting on a phone whilst playing on a tablet or laptop – GAME researchers found.
Reasons for the trend in multiple screening included 30% of people saying they were so busy felt the need to do all these things at once, while 36% admitted it’s down to the fact they get bored if they only watch TV.
[...]
The study of 2,000 Brits found that 79% regularly have evenings where they sit down in front of the TV with their phone, laptop or tablet also on their lap, with 46% saying they often operate two different gadgets at once whilst watching television. According to the data, around one in ten tweet about what’s on the TV, while 14% discuss the show with friends on Facebook.
As well as this, more than a third indulge in a spot of online shopping while watching TV, highlighting the increased popularity of easy online shopping apps on mobile devices, which can be easily operated when on the sofa watching TV."

Source:  Dotrising, 21st November 2013