Over a quarter of UK adults (27 percent) now own a smartphone, according to a recent report from Ofcom.

Ofcom’s annual Communications Market Report outlined that 27 percent of adults and 47 percent of young people, aged between 12 and 15, now own a smartphone with 59 percent stating they had bought their device during the last 12 months.

The report notes that the increase in smartphone adoption has led to a rise in mobile Internet usage with Facebook listed as the most visited website on handheld devices, totalling 43 million hours of usage in December 2010.

The report also highlights that 58 percent of UK adult males own a smartphone, compared to 42 percent of females. However, this is reversed amongst teenagers with 52 percent of girls using smartphones against 48 percent of boys.

Of the available devices, UK adults appear to prefer Apple’s iPhone, with 32 percent owning the device. In comparison, UK teenagers are swayed towards BlackBerry devices with 37 percent stating RIM devices are their preferred choice.

Interestingly, of those taking part in the survey, 37 percent of adults and 60 percent of teenagers described themselves as “addicted” to their smartphones.