Quarter of Irish children ‘struggle to switch off games and apps’ as most agree they spend too much time online

Many children feel they are spending too much time online and more than a quarter of those aged between eight and 14 “struggle to switch off games and apps”.

Online safety charity CyberSafeKids surveyed more than 7,100 primary and secondary school children, with more than half of eight- to 12-year-olds saying they spent too much time online.

This belief went up with age, with nearly two-thirds of 12- to 14-year-olds saying they spent too much time online.

And 23pc of children in the eight to 12 age range said they wasted a lot of time online. This went up with age, as 39pc of 12- to 14-year-olds said they wasted a lot of time online.

The survey comes following €9m in funding being announced for lockable phone pouches in secondary schools, a measure Education Minister Norma Foley has said will allow students to take a mental break and learn without distraction.

However, the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) has said many schools already had effective phone policies in place.

The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) said the €9m would have been better spent elsewhere.

CyberSafeKids has called for families, schools and workplaces across the country to take part in its fifth annual CyberBreak event for 24 hours from 5pm today.

“The online world brings many benefits to our lives, but we know as adults that sometimes it can be too all-consuming – and that’s true for kids as well,” CyberSafeKids CEO Alex Cooney said.

“CyberBreak is about taking time out to reassess how much of our time we spend online, reset the balance and replace the hours we lose to mindlessly scrolling online with some quality family time or even ‘me time’.”

More than 45,000 people have already signed up to take part in CyberBreak.

As part of the event, families are being encouraged to take Saturday as a together day to spend time doing offline activities.

Author and family psychotherapist Richard Hogan emphasised how important it was for children to regularly take breaks from being online.

“It’s more important than ever that our children have moments during their busy day away from technology,” he said.

“In the age of ubiquitous internet and smartphones, children need time to be children and connect with their friends in real life. So we have to help them to switch off, plug out and tune in to life.”

The survey also found that children reported positive feelings about being online, with 61pc of 12- to 14-year-olds saying they have fun and more than half saying it helps them stay connected to others.

Taking these positive elements into account, CyberSafeKids said it did not advocate a complete ban on social media for children in this age bracket and it “is not the simple solution often suggested”.

Reporting on:independent.iel