Under the title the “Impact of screens on the lives of adolescents and their families in situations of social vulnerability: reality and virtuality”Cáritas Española presented this morning in Madrid the results of a survey conducted among 930 young people, parents and guardians on the use of screens by the population between 12 and 17 in a situation of vulnerability and social exclusion by families accompanied by Caritas in its various programs and projects.
The report, presented by Natalia Peirogeneral secretary of Cáritas Española; daniele rodriguez of the Caritas Study Team, e Carmen García, head of the Children, Adolescents and Youth program, reveals that virtually all teenagers have daily contact with screens and 96% have their own mobile phone. The young people interviewed state that, on average, they got their first mobile phone at the age of 11.4. But the younger ones point out that their screen immersion happened earlier, at 10.5 years old.
“The analysis of these data raises a double alarm: on the one hand, the increasingly early access to screens and on the other, that most of the applications, networks or pages in which profiles are opened are for people of above 16 years, a This is a particularly relevant aspect to focus on the education that should be imparted from childhood on the responsible use of mobile phones”, says Daniel Rodríguez, from the study group of Cáritas Española.
In addition to being widespread and precocious, the use of screens shows clear gender differences. The percentage of boys who play every day, one in three, triples that of girls and while 6% of boys say they never play, this percentage rises to almost half (43%) among girls.
They prefer networks, they opt for video games
Instead, they show a greater preference for social networks and although the gender differences in time of use are not so marked, the purpose is. Girls tend to be more active in the networks, generating many more publications, which means that they have a much more exposed profile, while they tend to take on more of the role of viewers and judges.
Given the lack of consensus in the scientific community, the study chose to report abusive use when screen time exceeds 6 hours per day. 36% of young people find themselves in this situation. The risk of addiction occurs when an effect of dependence on screens is generated, which ends up interfering negatively in daily life and there is difficulty in controlling the time spent on them.
“The abuse of screens may or may not lead to an addiction. We relate this addiction to the emotions that screens arouse and we consider that addictive behavior occurs when the use, or lack of it, generates certain levels of isolation, anxiety, lack of control and dependence,” explains Rodríguez . One in five young people find themselves in this situation.
The study reveals that living in the space of exclusion does not imply an increased risk of addiction. The power of screens, therefore, captures young people whose families are in trouble as well as the more integrated ones.
example at home
However, the example that young people receive at home is the variable that has the greatest impact on addiction. When a young person lives with parents who make reasonable use of screens, the likelihood of developing addictive behavior is reduced by 70%.
In the case of the use of video games, there are significant differences between the population in situations of exclusion and young people as a whole. Excluded adolescents are twice as addicted to video games as youth overall, affecting 12 per cent. Furthermore, teenage boys (21%) are addicted to video games four times that of girls (4.9%).
In cases of video game addiction, living conditions and the scarcity of opportunities appear to be a differential element between the population in a situation of exclusion and young people as a whole. “Even if, as we have highlighted, the socio-economic situation of families is not the factor that most influences drug addiction, there are situations that protect young people from this addiction and we mainly want to highlight two of them. Firstly, the example that young people receive at home has a significant influence on addiction and, secondly, the possibilities that young people have to access structured leisure time,” explains Rodríguez.
Absences in class and more failures
18% of the adolescent population in a situation of social vulnerability has also missed a few days of lessons in the last month without a justified reason. A percentage that rises to 23% when there is addiction to screens and up to 28% when there is abusive use of them.
On the other hand, there is also a direct relationship between the number of failures and the conflicting use of screens. Almost half of adolescents and young people who abuse screens have disappointed 3 or more subjects, while this percentage rises to 60% in the case of addictive use.
“The conclusion is clear, addiction and abuse are closely linked to school absenteeism and the number of failures,” underlines Rodríguez.
More family conflicts
Parents, for their part, are clear that screens negatively affect communication at home and end up causing their children’s attitudes to deteriorate. 28% believe that screens are to blame for worsening communication within the family, also leading to deception in 20% of cases. On the other hand, one in four adults say that using screens has worsened their child’s attitude at home, which, for 17% of fathers and mothers, has led to an increase in conflicts within the family.
In fact, only 12% of parents feel prepared to face the digital education of their children, while the majority, 53%, declare that they need support or feel disoriented. Therefore, parents show great interest in having more information and support on how to educate their children in the healthy use of screens, since 82% perceive risks in these both in the relational and educational fields.
“All of us (adults and youth) are experiencing the same thing, and at the same time, due to the overuse of technology and continuous learning. The difference is that, normally, adults experience it with fear and insecurity while young people don’t. This is why children, adolescents and young people are the most vulnerable of the vulnerable, especially in these times of change. What is happening to them is happening at such a speed that it does not facilitate a margin of adaptation and reflection that would allow them to understand how they feel and how relationships are structured in these moments of change,” assures Carmen García.
Self-regulation
Digital also means new forms of communication and relationships for young people who in some cases are catching on with respect to more traditional communication. 11% of young people often prefer to talk on WhatsApp rather than do it in person. This new form of communication has two key elements: permanent connection and immediacy.
For the head of the Childhood, Adolescence and Youth program of Cáritas Española it is necessary to “accompany adolescents, help them generate values and educate them in the practice of patience and to curb impulsivity: the impulsiveness of not responding to a ‘hot’ message and knowing how to wait to give an answer which, in no case, is disrespectful and which we know we will not regret in the future. In other words, learn the difficult self-regulation. With the key always not to blame and not to judge”.
The objective of the report, according to Natalia Peiro during the press conference, is that “it reaches and is consulted not only by the 70 diocesan Cáritas but by all those people and groups interested in approaching the symbolic universes of our youth and adolescence”. “Our desire to give a voice to young people and their families has driven this process and this has been reflected in the design of the research and the techniques used. Because the vocation of this study is none other than to provide data and elements for a broader reflection of the whole of society on how the use of screens is influencing today’s young people and adolescence ”, she added.
