Mobile phones are the second worst invention

Despite all the wonderful things they can do, 17 per cent of people think phones are the worst thing ever

Mobile phones are the second worst invention of all time. That's according to a survey in BBC Focus magazine which polled 4,164 Radio Times readers to find out which of man's inventions people hate the most.

Some 17 per cent said that 'mobile phones' were the most annoying thing ever created, beaten only by 'weapons' and closely followed by 'nuclear power'.

Speed cameras also made the top ten, whisking in at ninth place with two per cent of the vote.

It's easy to see why cigarettes made it into the list at number seven; it's even easier to see why mobiles scored so highly, with people all over the country seemingly unable to unglue their phones from the side of their heads.

This ties in with yesterday's report by Solutions Research Group which said that one third of smartphone users believe their gadgets chain them to work, rather than liberate them.

A third of those questioned who own BlackBerry -style devices also said they make them feel as though they are always on call and can't relax while at home. Over half the respondents agreed that they did not have "enough 'me' time".

James Rivington

James was part of the TechRadar editorial team for eight years up until 2015 and now works in a senior position for TR's parent company Future. An experienced Content Director with a demonstrated history of working in the media production industry. Skilled in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), E-commerce Optimization, Journalism, Digital Marketing, and Social Media. James can do it all.