Half of UK Teenagers Feel Addicted to Web

According to the results of a poll of 2,200 students in 9 schools across England and Scotland, about 50% of all 14- and 15-year-olds feel addicted to the online world, with over 75% of similarly aged teenagers taking a web-enabled device to bed at night. Of them, the bulk are communicating with friends via social networks or watching videos. Over 40% of girls felt they used the Internet on a compulsive basis for socializing.

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The survey was conducted on behalf of Tablets for Schools, a charity governed by technology industry groups that campaign for the increased use of tablet devices in education. Aside from its remit, the groups have also published an advice guide for schools and students about online devices, recommending to turn them off before bed and during study times, with set times allocated for online activity.
According to the poll, fewer than 1/3 of students who used Internet devices in bed admitted this was connected to homework, and those more likely to use a PC, phone or laptop in bed also more likely to report feeling addicted to the worldwide web. There have been some gender distinctions, with more than 45% of girls and 35% of boys saying they sometimes felt addicted to the web. However, significantly more boys said they felt a compulsion towards computer games.
The peak age for addiction was 14 or 15, with almost 50% of those students reporting that they felt addicted. The most popular use of devices in bed comes a year later, with 77% of 16-year-olds reporting this. Besides email, the most commonly used websites at home were social media, including such networks as Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat.
Although most students insisted they were positive about the Internet, some of them expressed alarm at their apparent inability to disengage. Actually, the problem of addiction to the Internet is much debated, and some researchers question whether it can be regarded as a formal addiction. It is clear that UK teenagers spend more time on the Internet than many of their European peers. For instance, a 2012 Europe-wide study of kids aged 11-16 revealed that the United Kingdom was among the worst nations for indicators of apparently excessive use of the web. At the time, over 25% said they spent less time with family, friends or on schoolwork because of surfing the Internet.
 
Teenagers are so lucky these days. I used to be bored all the time. If I was a teen these days, I wouldn't have enough time to do everything I wanted to do.
 
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