More than eight per cent of UK adults confess they have secretly photographed attractive strangers on public transport, in the park or a coffee shop and even in the doctor's surgery, according to a new survey.
The poll of 2,076 Britons also found that almost seven million people have admitted to taking an intimate picture of themselves and storing it on their phone, leaving themselves vulnerable to social media mishaps, researchers said.
Almost five million fear that these embarrassing pictures could inadvertently end up on their Facebook page.
More than a third of those surveyed said they were more likely to take an intimate photograph of themselves because of the increased rise of smartphone cameras and improved picture quality.
The survey, carried out by a mobile phone company, also found that more than 90 per cent couples erase all photographs of their exes from their mobile phones after a break up.
The need to "achieve closure" was cited as the reason why Britons delete their digital albums following the end of a relationship, 'The Independent' reported.
A quarter of those surveyed said they refuse to let their partners see the pictures on their smartphones, 'Press Association' reported.
Around 40 per cent of adults said they take pictures on their cell phone just to show off on social media about their holidays, food, possessions and nights out.
"Our research has given us a real insight into the ever-changing quirky habits of the British public," said Thomas Messett, head of digital marketing for Europe at Nokia.
"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," he said.
