Young people want to quit phone addiction but don't know how

(Dan Tri) - Smartphones are creating a generation of lonely, anxious young people. And because of this loneliness and stress, many teenagers use their phones even more.

OnSide, a youth support charity in the UK, analyzed the phone usage habits of 5,200 teenagers aged 11 to 18. The report, titled Generation Loneliness , which the organization has just released, has attracted attention.

The results showed that 44% of British teenagers surveyed had felt very lonely, 51% often felt anxious and restless. More than 25% spent most of their free time online.

Remarkably, more than 50% want to kick their phone addiction. However, most teenagers do not know how to reduce their phone usage time.

Smartphones are creating a generation of lonely, anxious young people (Illustration: DM).

"The message teens are sending is clear: they want to be less dependent on their phones, they want to have real-life interactions," said Jamie Masraff, chief executive of OnSide. "Teenagers are feeling trapped by their phones, they're feeling lonely and stressed."

Mr. Jamie called on families and schools to pay more attention to teenagers' time outside of school, creating opportunities for young people to practice and develop themselves.

For example, more youth clubs need to be opened and operate more effectively to create an ideal environment for young people to meet, socialize, entertain, build confidence, develop communication skills...

The lack of attention and investment from families and schools for teenagers to practice outside of class time will make young people more dependent on phones and the internet.

When addicted to phones, teenagers will find it difficult to adapt to the real world, they easily become anxious and stressed because they lack necessary social skills.

25% of teens surveyed by OnSide said they fear being left out by their friends if they don’t respond to messages quickly and enthusiastically. 25% feel they have more friends online than they do in real life. In fact, 5% said they find what happens online to be more fun and positive than what happens in real life.

20% admit that they use their phones constantly just because they have nothing else interesting to do. 10% find online conversations easier than real life.

Because of loneliness and anxiety, many teenagers use their phones more and more (Illustration: DM).

When asked about opportunities for personal development outside of school, 35% of teenagers said they had no chance to make new friends, and spent most of their time outside of school hours... at home.

More than 30% want to have the opportunity to interact and meet friends of the same age. Mostly, teenagers want to have more destinations and activities that are affordable for teenagers.

A representative of the OnSide organization assessed that many young people today want to quit their phone addiction, want to go out and have fun, meet friends, but have no way to escape the cycle of dependence on phones and the internet. The reason is very simple, that is, they have no other entertainment options to replace it.

Therefore, investing in infrastructure and services aimed at young people is very important to create a happy, dynamic, and comprehensively developed young generation. This requires families, schools, communities, and authorities to pay attention and coordinate actions.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/nguoi-tre-muon-cai-nghien-dien-thoai-nhung-khong-biet-lam-the-nao-20241106105441472.htm