The positive effects of being online have reduced for children aged 9-15 in the space of a year, according to a report from Internet Matters. As children are now back in school full-time their technology use appears to have been shifted later into the evening, which in turn is impacting their sleep and physical wellbeing.
Younger girls aged 9-10 in particular are experiencing much greater negative impacts on their social and physical wellbeing year on year. 45% of this age group now say they stay up late on digital devices (compared to 26% last year) and 49% say they repeat watch programmes or play computer games even though they aren’t enjoying them (compared to 34% last year).
The number of 9-10-year-old girls who say they get upset if they miss out on what’s happening with their friends on social media has doubled year on year (from 16% to 32%) and is higher than any of the other age groups. In terms of body image and self-esteem, one in 10 also say that being online makes them worried about their body shape or size and 13% say it makes them jealous of other people.
