Survey says cellphones a lifeline, boredom staller

If you’ve ever used a fake cellphone conversation to avoid real-life interactions, you’re not alone. The Pew Internet & American Life Project says that 13% of adult mobile phone owners in the U.S. have used the old “I’m on the phone” tactic. Thirty percent among those aged 18 to 29 did that at least once in the previous 30 days. Just don’t forget to silence your ringer first. In all, 83% of Americans reported owning some type of a mobile phone. Of these, more than half say they have used their phones at least once to get information they needed right away. Mobile phones are also becoming tools for handling emergencies. Forty percent of cellphone owners say their phones helped in an emergency. Phone also proved useful when staving off boredom, as 42% of respondents say they used their phones for entertainment when they were bored. In a sign that we are getting increasingly dependent on our mobile gadgets: 42% of young adults aged 18 to 29 report having trouble doing something because they didn’t have their phone with them. The national telephone survey was conducted among 2,277 adults from April 26 to May 22 in English and Spanish. It has a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.