A new survey has confirmed what we’ve long suspected: Irish teens are completely and utterly addicted to their smartphones.
The survey of more than 2,600 Irish secondary school students, conducted by studyclix.ie, also revealed some interesting findings regarding social media, exercise, trust in the Gardaí and student loans.
Almost half of teens who responded to the survey admitted that they are “addicted” to their phones, with 60 per cent of students worried they use their smartphones too much.
More than half of students (54 percent) say they risk a telling off to sneak a look at their smartphones in school, even when the devices are explicitly banned.
Snapchat remains the most popular platform, with Instagram and Facebook in second and third place.
The survey also revealed that more than 50 per cent of girls in sixth year were regularly skipping PE, compared to 15 per cent of female students in second year. The girls were also falling behind when it came to participation in team sports, with just 36 per cent taking part, compared to 52 per cent of boys.
On a positive note, 73 percent of students said that they still trust the Gardaí and 88 per cent wouldn’t mind paying back a small amount of money for college loans when they begin their careers; 24 per cent say that a figure of €150 and €160 a month would be acceptable to them.
