A poll has found that 8% of British adults have admitted taking photos of attractive strangers on public transport and at the doctor’s surgery.
Based on a Nokia survey of 2,076 people, researchers have estimated that nearly 5 million are concerned that risqué photos of themselves may end up on Facebook.
Researchers also calculated that an estimated 7 million people have admitted taking intimate photos of themselves and putting them online.
Around 90% of people who experience break-ups will also erase photos of their former partners from their phones, in order to “achieve closure”, the survey found.
A quarter of the people who took part in the poll refuse to allow their partners look at the photos in their mobile.
The research exercise also discovered that 40% of adults take photos on their mobiles to show off on social media, such as their holidays, food, possessions and nights out.
Nokia’s Thomas Messett said: “Our research has given us a real insight into the ever-changing quirky habits of the British public.
“It would appear that wiping your mobile phone pictures is a typical part of the digital break-up, and gone are the days when people would burn photos of their exes.”