Women 'use mobiles to deter men's approaches'

The mobile phone is changing how we interact with each other, according to a study - with some women using theirs to keep predatory men at bay.

More than 16,500 people were surveyed for the Mobile Life Report which reveals insights into how we live. In the past, women may have used a newspaper as a barrier to deter people from approaching them but that has changed.

The study, which was published by The Carphone Warehouse and the London School of Economics, showed that 54 per cent of women under 25 admitted using their mobile in public situations to deter people from approaching them.

The report revealed that, on average, people sent 3.6 text messages a day compared with 2.8 voice calls a day, and that around one in 10 people have had a mobile stolen. Women aged between 18 and 24 were most at risk.

The research also showed that a quarter of people paused to turn off their phones or switched them to silent mode before sex.