Study shows kids are the fastest phone typists in the world

A huge study of over 37,000 volunteers has proved what you probably, in your heart of hearts, already knew: young people are far better at typing faster on phone screens than older generations.

Of 37,370 volunteers, on average teenagers were able to tap out sentences at 40 words per minute, while their 40-50-year-old counterparts could only manage 26 to 29. People in their 20s managed 37 words per minute, while those in their 30s achieved 32. You can take the test here, if you want to see if you buck the trend for your age group.

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To be clear, these numbers are far lower than the average speed achieved on a full-size keyboard attached to a computer, where most people hit 51 words per minute, but it’s not as far off as you might expect. Indeed, one participant managed a managed a frankly ludicrous 85 words per minute according to The Guardian. 

“One of the most surprising things we found is that some people can type surprisingly fast with smartphone keyboards,” co-author Anna Feit told the paper. “We showed, at a large scale, that people who type using both thumbs are very much faster than those who use just one finger.”

There are no restrictions in how you type in the test, and Swiping is permitted. But according to the data, the researchers reckon that autocorrect is your friend, while word prediction is your enemy: the former gave an average boost of nine words per minute, while the latter was a net drag of two.  

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“If you want to be fast, make use of both your thumbs and turn on autocorrection, even though it might be annoying at times,” said Feit. “And then just keep using it.”

How fast do you type on your phone, and what’s your secret to success? Let us know on Twitter: @TrustedReviews.

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