A new report seen by Politics UK reveals that 76 per cent of young people spend most of their free time on phones, despite the majority wanting to reduce their usage.
The report by OnSide, conducted in partnership with YouGov, also shows that 58 per cent of young people who spend most of their free time on their phones do so out of boredom, while 1 in 10 say they do so because there is nowhere safe to hang out with friends in person.
It also found that over one in three youths do not have opportunities to meet new friends but 29 per cent of the 5,213 people questioned said more affordable leisure activities would improve this.
Charity bosses are now urging the government to invest more in youth centres, which are free to access, to combat teenagers’ “excessive” use of mobile phones.
Jamie Masraff, the CEO of the leading youth charity OnSide, exclusively told Politics UK: “Our recent Generation Isolation report revealed that smartphone use is now the most time consuming activity for 11 to 18 year olds. Young people told us they fear being left out from their friends if they don’t use their phone, yet 44% also admitted to high or very high feelings of loneliness.
“Almost a quarter (24%) of young people say they have more friends they can talk to online than in real life, and this is creating a loneliness loop. Young people feel trapped on their phones for fear of being left out, yet are missing out on taking part in real-life activities because they are on their phones.”
He added: “Our core recommendation for the Government is that every young person in the country should have access to a high-quality youth centre and dedicated youth workers. As the Government begins their work to develop the National Youth Strategy, as well as other policies for young people, it’s crucial that there is a focus on providing fun, exciting, affordable and safe out-of-school opportunities in real life that are more compelling to young people than a smartphone.
“As Labour’s work on delivering their core missions and developing new strategies continues, it is also vital to provide the youth sector with clarity, support and sustainable investment going forward, support that fully recognises the scale of cuts to youth work since 2010. In the past 14 years two thirds of council run youth centres in England and Wales have closed, and since 2012 there’s been a 35% reduction in full-time equivalent youth worker jobs.
“Youth clubs are places where young people choose to go and youth workers offer non-judgemental support, therefore we believe that the focus must be on providing real-life alternatives to social media and smartphones. Young people have told us that they lack access to safe, affordable, fun places to socialise and learn new skills in real-life.
“Interestingly, our research also shows that they want to reduce their smartphone use, but do not know how to. We must ask, what do we expect them to do and where do we expect them to go if smartphones are banned? It’s our job to create better alternatives for them. Because, as we see in our Youth Zones every day, when you do this well the phone holds less interest.”
The report comes as technology secretary Peter Kyle said an Australian-style ban on social media for under-16s is “on the table” if companies do not take action to protect children.
Peter Kyle’s warning comes as he prepares to call on Ofcom to get tougher with the tech companies. He and the regulator are preparing for new legal powers arriving via the Online Safety Act at the beginning of 2025. The act means social media platforms will, for the first time, have new safety duties to protect users, particularly children, from harmful content.
Maria Neophytou, director of strategy and knowledge at the NSPCC, said the legislation will have “the potential to change the online world for children.”
Last week, she said: “Through Childline, we hear daily from young people about the range of harms they are experiencing online, including online bullying, access to content encouraging suicide and eating disorders and child sexual abuse and exploitation.”
