Almost half of British teens admit being addicted to the internet

 

London: Almost half of 14- and 15-year-olds in the UK feel they are addicted to the internet, according to a new survey. 

 

The survey of more than 2,200 students in nine schools across England and Scotland found that more than three quarters of 14- and 15-year-olds take a laptop, phone or tablet to bed at night. 

 

Of those who take a device to bed, most are communicating with friends using social media or watching videos or films. 

 

More than four out 10 girls felt they used the internet on a compulsive basis for socialising, the survey found. 

 

The poll, carried out on behalf of a charity called Tablets for Schools, found that fewer than a third of students who used web devices in bed said this was connected to homework, with those more likely to use a computer, phone or laptop in bed also more likely to report feeling addicted to the internet. 

 

Also, 46 per cent of girls said they sometimes felt addicted to the internet, as against 36 per cent of boys, but significantly more boys said they felt a compulsion towards computer games, 'The Guardian' reported. 

 

The peak age for feelings of addiction was year 10, where pupils are aged 14 or 15, with 49 per cent of those pupils reporting this. 

 

The greatest use of devices in bed comes a year later, with 77 per cent of year-11 pupils. Aside from email the most commonly used sites at home were social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat.