Screen time soars as real-world connection declines for UK children
The fifth annual Children's Wellbeing in a Digital World index shows increasing screen time over other activities. The post Screen time soars as real-world connection declines for UK children appeared first on Internet Matters.
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UK children are now spending 23 hours per week online—up significantly from 16 hours in 2022—with nearly half struggling to disconnect and prioritizing screen time over sleep, exercise, and face-to-face relationships. This trend raises concerns about digital addiction, mental health impacts, and reduced time for healthy development. Parents should monitor their children's online habits and help establish healthy boundaries around screen time.
Children and young people are spending almost a day a week online with nearly half finding it hard to disconnect from online spaces, feeling trapped in a cycle of infinite scrolling and choosing screen time over exercise, sleep or real-world socialisation. Our annual Digital Wellbeing Index , running for its fifth consecutive year, reveals: Children are spending 23 hours online each week including using AI tools, watching live streams and live streaming themselves, up from 16 hours in 2022. Near...