A recent report by Childwise found that children aged five to 16 spend an average of six and a half hours a day in front of a screen, more than twice as much as they did 20 years ago. Debate about the effects of the culture on young people – sexting, bullying, mental health and cyber addiction – has never been livelier.
While many young people recognise the problem, they don’t question their choices. “Gaming and social media are so much a part of their lives that they haven’t really thought about it,” says Sally Llewellyn, a teacher at Capital City Academy (CCA) in London.
So what happens when you ask a group of tech-loving teens to switch off for a week?
The Disconnect project did just that with a group of 15-year-olds from CCA. Over several weeks, we discussed their gaming and social media habits and then challenged them to go offline for a week. About half the class volunteered to use a basic call-and-text mobile while their smartphones were locked away.
“Initially the students were dismissive,” says Llewellyn. “But the more they considered it, the more interesting the prospect of disconnecting became. Once we started looking at what they’d done the previous week, and how much time they’d spent on their smartphones and games, they were horrified.” Girls were on their phones from the moment they woke up until they went to bed – they even slept with them by their side. Boys used social media less, but they spent up to six hours a day gaming.
One student, Abdi, was worried about how he would fill his time – a concern shared by his friends. “After a week you’d just start repeating what you did the day before. If I wasn’t gaming I’d probably watch a movie or something, and I’d hate to watch the same movie twice.”
Was it hard? Yes. But impossible? No. Most who took up the challenge found it less difficult than they expected, suggesting the relationship they have with their devices is less addictive than compulsive.
More importantly, all of them said they got something out of it. “I watched TV with my friends,” says one. “I read a book. I can’t remember the last time I did that,” adds another. “I got my homework in on time and hung out much more with my family.” They also reported going to bed earlier – a related and growing area of concern.
