A new finding has surfaced from Britain regarding tablet use, and it might make you a little sad. According to a research study by the tech firm Storage Option, 49 percent of tablet users in Britain responded that they prefer using their tablet to talking with their partner.

Nearly half of tablet-users in Britain, where the devices are decidedly popular, would choose using an electronic device over having a conversation with their partner.

Let’s all share in a collective frustrated sigh.

The study also found that 20 percent of respondents are so attached to their tablets, they’ve set a limit on the amount of time their partners can use the device, and sharing the tablet between partners is a common cause for fights in a relationship.

Sure, tablets are useful, but are they so useful as to replace human communication and relationships, if not all of the time then nearly half of the time?

In Britain, this seems to be the case.

Popular places for tablet-usage were also revealed in the study, with 57 percent reporting they use their tablet in bed, and 40 percent using it on the toilet.

Just what is everyone doing on their tablets at these times, though? Many respondents reported using the devices to hand-write notes with a stylus to keep themselves organized, catching up on news, reading before bed, and other similar activities.

The benefits of these uses for the technology are generally agreed upon, with 40 percent saying their tablets have improved their efficiency (or they believe it has done so).

Furthermore, the study asked tablet-users whether they felt they would miss out on vital information if they were disconnected from their device for a day. The answers are enlightening on the topic, because the majority did not respond in a wholehearted “Yes!”

Approximately 36 percent of users in Northern Ireland and 34 percent in South East England felt they would miss out, but that leaves a majority feeling the opposite.

This finding suggests that while tablets are ravingly popular throughout Britain, Northern Ireland and England, most users don’t see them as absolutely necessary to their everyday life--just preferable to conversation with their partner.

What this says about the happiness of relationships in these areas, we can’t say, but one thing is clear: tablets are not just the new and interesting gadget of the moment, but likely a lasting part of the technology industry for years to come. 

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