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 has presented this morning in Madrid the results of a survey carried out among 930 young people, parents and guardians regarding the use of screens by the population between 12 and 17 years of age in a situation of vulnerability and social exclusion from families accompanied by Caritas in its different programs and projects.
The report, presented by Natalia Peirogeneral secretary of Cáritas Española; daniel rodriguez of the Cáritas Study Team, and carmen garcia, responsible for the Childhood, Adolescence and Youth program, reveals that practically all adolescents have daily contact with screens and 96% have their own mobile. The young people surveyed state that, on average, they had their first mobile phone at the age of 11.4. But the youngest point out that their immersion on the screens was earlier, at 10.5 years old.
“The analysis of this data raises a double alert: on the one hand, the increasingly early access to the screens and on the other, that most of the applications, networks or pages where profiles are opened are for people over 16 years of age, a This is a particularly relevant aspect to focus on the education that should be given from childhood on the responsible use of mobile phones”, says Daniel Rodríguez, from the Cáritas Española Study Team.
In addition to being widespread and early, the use of screens shows obvious 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, that percentage rises to almost half (43%) among girls.
They prefer the networks, they opt for video games
They, on the other hand, show a greater preference for social networks and although the gender differences by time of use are not so marked, the purpose of it is. Girls tend to be more active in networks, generating many more publications, which makes them have a much more exposed profile, while they tend to assume the role of spectators and judges to a greater extent.
Given the lack of consensus in the scientific community, the study has chosen to point out abusive use when the time spent on screens exceeds 6 hours a day. 36% of young people are in this situation. The risk of addictive use occurs when an effect of dependence on screens is generated, which ends up interfering negatively in daily life and difficulties appear 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 the absence of it, generates certain levels of isolation, anxiety, lack of control and dependency”, explains Rodríguez. One in five young people are in this situation.
The study reveals that living in the space of exclusion does not imply a greater risk of addiction. The power of the screens, therefore, captures the youth whose families are going through difficulties as well as those who are more integrated.
example at home
However, the example that youth receives at home is the variable that has the most influence on addiction. When a young person lives with parents who make reasonable use of screens, the probability 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 a situation of exclusion and the youth as a whole. Adolescence in a situation of exclusion suffers twice as much addiction to video games as youth as a whole and affects 12%. In addition, the addiction of male adolescents (21%) to video games is four times that of girls (4.9%).
In the cases of addictive use of video games, the living conditions and the scarcity of opportunities do seem to be a differential element between the population in a situation of exclusion and the youth as a whole. “Although, as we have pointed out, the socioeconomic situation of families is not the factor that most influences addictive use, there are situations that protect young people from this addiction and we want to highlight two mainly. In the first place, the example that young people receive at home has a notable influence on addiction and, secondly, the possibilities that young people have to access structured leisure”, explains Rodríguez.
Absences in class and more failures
18% of the adolescent population in a situation of social vulnerability has also missed some day of class in the last month without a justified reason. A percentage that increases to 23% when there is addiction to screens and up to 28% when there is an 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 the adolescents and youth who abuse screens have failed 3 or more subjects, while that percentage rises to 60% when there is addictive use.
“The conclusion is clear, addiction and abusive use 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 a worsening in their children’s attitude. 28% believe that screens are to blame for the worsening of communication within the family, even leading to deception in 20% of cases. On the other hand, one in four adults affirms that the use of screens has worsened their child’s attitude at home, which, for 17% of fathers and mothers, has resulted in an increase in conflicts within the family .
In fact, only 12% of parents feel prepared to face the digital education of their sons and daughters, while the majority, 53%, say they need support or feel disoriented. Thus, 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 either in the relational or in the educational field.
“All of us (adults and young people) are going through the same thing, and at the same time, due to the excessive use of technology and continuous learning. The difference is that, normally, adults experience it with fear and insecurities while young people do not. For this reason, children, adolescents and young people are the most vulnerable among the vulnerable, especially in these moments of change. What is happening to them is happening at such a speed that it is not facilitating a margin of adaptation and reflection that allows 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 relationship for young people that in some cases are gaining ground over 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 person in charge of the Cáritas Española Childhood, Adolescence and Youth program, it is necessary to “accompany adolescents, help them generate values and educate them in the practice of patience and in curbing impulsiveness: the impulsiveness of not responding to a message in ‘ hot’ and know how to wait to give an answer that, under no circumstances is disrespectful and that we know that we are not going to regret it in the future. In other words, learning 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 arrives 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 young people and their families a voice has guided this process and that has been reflected in the design of the research and the techniques that have been 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 affecting today’s youth and adolescence ”, she added.
