Phone, slip, slop, slap

AUSSIES are glued to their mobile phones with a survey showing more than 1.2 million beachgoers are choosing smartphones as the No. 1 item to take to the beach.

More than a third (36 per cent) of Generation Z or young people under 22 are most likely to pack their smartphone above all other items, including sunscreen, water, a hat or towel, Finder.com.au research has found.

Rebecca Jones, 18, goes to the beach almost every week in the summer and says her mobile phone is one of the first items she throws into her beach bag. “I just take it everywhere with me, the beach is no different,” she said.

According to the Cancer Council, the majority of skin cancers are caused by exposure to the sun, with approximately two in three Australians being diagnosed with skin cancer by the time they are 70.

Spokesman Angus Kidman said while people were prioritising their phones more than ever, staying sun smart should be the No. 1 priority.

“We are so addicted to our phones nowadays, they go everywhere with us,” he said.

“We need to remember the basic principle of slip, slop, slap.”