Case 3: Computer Addiction

Four in ten teenage girls 'are addicted to internet': Youngsters increasingly showing signs of
compulsion with their tablets and smart phones

 Nearly two thirds of pupils said in survey they took their gadget to bed with them

 46 per cent of teen girls asked thought they were addicted to the internet

 2,000 secondary school pupils aged 11 to 17 asked their views in survey for boys, a
survey found.

Youngsters are increasingly displaying signs of compulsion to use their tablets and
smartphones, including taking their devices to bed and in some cases even preferring the
company of gadgets to people.

The findings prompted Tablets for Schools, the charity which conducted the survey, to launch a
charter on how families can set boundaries to foster a healthy relationship with the internet.

Advice includes banning children from taking their devices to bed and encouraging them to buy
alarm clocks instead of using their phones for the purpose.

The survey, which questioned more than 2,000 secondary school pupils aged 11 to 17, found
that 39 per cent believe they are addicted to the internet.

The figure was higher among girls at 46 per cent, whereas 36 per cent of boys thought they
were addicted.

The poll found that girls spent more time chatting to friends on social networks while boys were
more absorbed by computer games.

One 11-year-old girl said: ‘I can never get off it, and at night I stay up for two to three hours
after I’m meant to be asleep.’

A 12-year-old girl, said: ‘The internet nearly always controls my actions. I have been told that I
am addicted to the internet, and prefer its company rather than being with other people.’

And a third pupil said: ‘If I had no wi-fi I would have no life.’

Nearly two-thirds of pupils - 64 per cent - said they took their gadget to bed with them.

Of these, most were using their phone or computer to talk to friends on social media, watch
films or videos or play games.
One 12-year-old boy said: ‘It’s the first thing I look at in the morning and the last thing at night.
It seems I’m constantly on it.’

A girl of the same age commented: ‘I get nervous when I’m not on the internet for a long time. I
feel like I’m missing something.’

The poll, conducted by the charity Tablets for Schools, led to the development of a charter on
internet use for teachers and families.

It urges youngsters to resist the temptation to take their device to bed and use a proper alarm
clock instead of their phone.

There should also be time limits on how youngsters can use devices with specific times during
the day or week for being ‘unplugged’.

Youngsters were also urged to ‘switch off and sleep’ and ‘don’t use your device as a clock,
invest in a real alarm clock.’

The charter also said that students should protect their study time, find new ‘boredom busters’
- activities they enjoy away from using the internet - and dedicate certain times of the day or
week to being ‘unplugged’.

Andrew Harrison, the chairman of Tablets for Schools and chief executive of Carphone
Warehouse, said tablets can be an ‘incredible force for good’.

It may be that we all, adults and young people, need to impose boundaries on the way in which
we use our digital devices

But he added: ‘This Charter of guidance from pupils themselves is invaluable.

‘Boundaries can help maintain a healthy relationship with the internet.’

A report accompanying the poll admits that use of the term ‘addiction’ is controversial.

Psychologist Professor Tanya Byron argues that by labeling behaviour such as technology use an
‘addiction’ we run the risk of ignoring the responsibility we have as individuals and parents for
our own behaviour,’ the report said.

Youngsters were referring to addiction in the ‘vernacular sense’, the report said.

It adds: ‘It may be that we all, adults and young people, need to impose boundaries on the way
in which we use our digital devices.
‘We might question whether it is a good idea to use devices late into the night, or take the
device to bed. Importantly it seems that a dialogue needs to take place between young people
and the adults in their lives, be it in school or at home, about using the internet safely, wisely
and in a way which enhances their wellbeing.’

The charity’s charter on internet use for teachers and families says students should protect
their study time, find new ‘boredom busters’ – activities they enjoy away from the internet –
and dedicate times of the day to being ‘unplugged’ from their devices.