Time youngsters spend on the internet equates to one whole day every week
Children are spending the majority of their free time on their computers or devices, a new report has found.
Over half (57 per cent) of youngsters aged five to 13 are devoting 23 hours a week – almost a whole day – to online activities.
The survey asked 1,000 parents whose children belong to Generation Alpha (children born after 2010) about their internet use.
This figure is even higher when it comes to 12 and 13-year-olds, of which 67 and 66 per cent respectively spend most of their recreational time on the web, found researchers from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).
It comes as a Conservative MP has called for urgent research to assess the safety of teenagers using smartphones and social media.
Miriam Cates, who represents Penistone and Stocksbridge, said there is a need to look into the impact of apps, such as Instagram and TikTok, on the mental health of youngsters.
She added that smartphones should be considered “as addictive as cigarettes”.
The politician highlighted the Safe Screens for Teens campaign, which is pushing for “prominent tobacco-style health warnings” about screen time and the “potentially addictive nature” of devices to be displayed on smartphone packaging.
The campaign also wants the use of smartphones to be banned in schools and early-years settings and for the curriculum to include lessons on addictive smartphone behaviour.
The IET research also highlights the increasing amount of time that Generation Alpha children are spending using virtual reality (VR) technology.
The study found that two-thirds (66 per cent) of youngsters have now used VR and a quarter (25 per cent) do so every week. Generation Alpha will spend more than a decade of their lives in VR, predicts the IET.
“Today’s children are experiencing life in a way that is very different from that of their parents’ and caregivers’ youth,” said Catherine Allen, a member of the IET’s Digital Policy Panel. “It is vital that those in positions of responsibility understand what children’s online daily life is like today – this includes parents, civil servants, and politicians.”
The publication of the report comes as the Online Safety Bill is making its way through Parliament.
The legislation – which is five years in the making – aims to police online content to help keep users safe, especially children, and to put the onus on tech firms to protect people from the likes of abusive messages, bullying and pornography.
It is expected to become law this year. However, it’s controversial and proving problematic as ministers try to balance online safety with freedom of speech and a right to privacy.
The NSPCC has warned that there are thousands of online child sex offences recorded while it is delayed.
