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Mobile Phone Use

Young People and Mobile Phone Use

 

The information below was derived from a recent article on the Education area of the BBC News website. It makes for an interesting read!

Almost half (45%) of young people are checking their mobile phones after they have gone to bed, a poll suggests.

A survey of 2,750 11- to 18-year-olds found 1 in 10 admitted checking their mobile phones for notifications at least 10 times a night.

The poll was carried out by Digital Awareness UK.

The organisation warns night-time usage of mobiles means pupils are coming to school tired and unable to concentrate.

They recommend having a “digital detox” and putting mobile devices away for 90 minutes before lights-out or keeping them out of the bedroom.

Of the 45% of survey respondents who check their phones when they should be sleeping, almost all (94%) are on social media – with a tenth saying they would feel stressed about missing out if they did not check their device before going to sleep.

Of this group, 75% are listening to music and over half (57%) are watching films.

A third (32%) of these youngsters say their parents are not aware that they check their mobile device after going to bed.

The findings also show:

  • 68% of all respondents say using their mobile devices at night affects their school work
  • a quarter say they feel tired during the day because of how often they use their mobile device at night
  • almost half (42%) keep their phone next to their bed at night

10 screen-time tips from Digital Awareness UK

  • Refrain from using screens 90 minutes before bedtime
  • Turn off notifications, or activate “do not disturb”, “aeroplane mode” or mute settings. Turn the phone off altogether if you can
  • Reduce blue light exposure, which can disrupt sleep. For example, most Apple devices have the “night shift mode”, which changes the colour temperature of your device to reduce exposure
  • Try and break the habit of unprompted device checking
  • Keep your phone in a location that prevents you from seeing, hearing or even reaching for it
  • Use screen time tracker apps, such as RealizD and Moment, that can showcase the amount of time you are spending on your device. Some of these apps allow you to set usage restrictions
  • Digital detox – take a break from devices altogether or set times that you will turn your phone off
  • Switch the habit – in the 90 minutes running up to bedtime, get stuck into a good book, practice meditation or have a relaxing bath
  • If we think about the reasons why we are using mobile devices at night time, we would often think twice
  • If you take control back by exercising any of the tips listed above, give yourself a pat on the back and a treat

Charlotte Robertson, DAUK co-founder, said: “One of the biggest topics around at the moment is excessive social media consumption and how it is affecting our physical and emotional wellbeing.”

“A lot of them [children] are waking up sometimes with over 100 notifications from conversations that have happened overnight.”

“They want to be that person that is responding at 01:00, and seen to be quite cool, to make sure they catch the joke – it’s a huge driver, that anxiety of wanting to know what’s happened.”

It’s not that this technology is all horrible and terrible and we should all be wringing our hands! Perhaps this is the reality and we all need to educate children to use it in a positive way.