More than a quarter of schoolchildren say they spend too much time online and struggle to switch off from games and apps, new research has found.
The survey, which was conducted by online safety charity CyberSafeKids, found more than half of those aged between eight and 12 years old felt they spent excessive amounts of time online, rising to almost two-thirds among those aged 12 to 14.
Almost 40 per cent of 12 to 14 year old children felt they wasted a lot of time online.
The charity is encouraging people to take a break from the online world for 24 hours as part of CyberBreak, which takes place from 5pm on Friday to 5pm on October 19th. The event is designed to encourage a healthy balance between the physical and digital world, with participants putting their smart devices away for its 24 hour duration. More than 45,000 people have already signed up to take part in the event, which is in its fifth year.
“The online world brings many benefits to our lives but we know as adults that sometimes it can be too all-consuming – and that’s true for kids as well,” said CyberSafeKids chief executive Alex Cooney. “CyberBreak is about taking time out to reassess how much of our time we spend online, reset the balance and replace the hours we lose to mindlessly scrolling online with some quality family time (or even “me” time!).”
Although the majority of older children said they found being online a positive experience, girls were more likely to report negative feelings. Some 18 per cent said being online made them feel tired, versus 11 per cent of boys, while 17 per cent of girls said they felt jealousy. That was compared with 4 per cent of boys. Girls were also more likely to experience anxiety and fear after going online.
The impact of social media and going online on children’s’ mental health has come under scrutiny recently. Last month, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said children’s exposure to harmful content on social media was a “public health crisis” and stronger laws may be needed to tackle the problem.
Other plans include a smartphone ban for secondary schools, which was announced by the Minister for Education Norma Foley in August, to help deal with issues around distraction and cyberbullying. There has also been a call for a ban on social media access for those under the age of 16, while the Irish Medical Organisation has backed a ban on smartphone usage for all children under 16.
But CyberSafeKids’ research, which questioned more than 7,100 primary and secondary schoolchildren, indicated it may not be as straightforward as imposing outright bans.
Among 12-14 year olds, 61 per cent said being online was fun, while 58 per cent said they felt connected to others.
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