PCMag Survey Finds 92% of US Adults Reject Snooping on Friends' Devices
Updated
Updated · PCMag · Jun 30
PCMag Survey Finds 92% of US Adults Reject Snooping on Friends' Devices
3 articles · Updated · PCMag · Jun 30
Summary
A YouGov survey of 2,104 US adults found snooping on a friend or family member’s device without permission was the least acceptable tech behavior, with 92% calling it unacceptable.
Looking through a partner’s device drew slightly less condemnation at 84%, suggesting respondents view romantic intimacy as giving more perceived license than friendships or family ties.
The survey also found broad discomfort with other public tech habits: 80% opposed photographing strangers, 75% rejected speakerphone or video calls in public, and 75% disliked texting while talking to someone in person.
Generational gaps were sharp in several categories, with 41% of Gen Z saying public speakerphone use is acceptable and majorities of Gen Z and Millennials accepting ChatGPT-written texts or emails.
PCMag said the online poll was conducted May 13-15, 2025, and experts cited shifting norms as younger adults grow up with phones and AI embedded in daily communication.