Half of teenagers aged 13-18 said they feel anxious when they do not have their smart phones with them, an exclusive survey commissioned by BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Bitesize has suggested.
And three quarters (74%) said they wouldn’t consider swapping their smart phones for a more basic device that only allows phone calls and text messages.
A quarter (25 %) said they use their phones for more than five hours on a typical day.
On a positive note, 75% of teens questioned said they feel positive about their future, with only 11% feeling negative about lies ahead.
The online poll, conducted by Survation, surveyed 2000* teenagers aged 13-18 asking them questions on a range of different issues affecting teenage lives. These topics ranged from anxiety and social media, phone use and addiction, to sexual harassment and street safety.
The findings from the poll will be discussed live from the Teen24 Summit on BBC Radio 5 Live as part of their collaboration with BBC Bitesize.
The BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast show’s Rachel Burden will be kicking things off from 6am with a special programme focusing on teens and their mobiles, and asking what their life would be like without smartphones. Rachel will be joined by ten young people who took part in a smartphone ‘detox’ for 5 Live to find out if they can live without their mobiles for a week. The teens will join Rachel to reveal how they feel about their phones after the detox.
From 9am, Nicky Campbell will be hosting a live, two-hour teen summit from the Halliwell Jones Stadium in Warrington, with an audience of young people from across the North West of England. He’ll be asking them their opinions on smartphones, social media, influencers, and other topics that affect teen lives.
Heidi Dawson, Controller of BBC Radio 5 Live, said: “Understanding how teenagers feel and think about the world is crucial and this survey provides fascinating insights. Some of the findings are eye-opening and the research shows there is a big conversation needed on teen issues and mobile phone use. We are working closely with BBC Bitesize and will be discussing all the issues during our Teen24 summit on BBC Radio 5 Live.”
