83% of secondary school students worry they use their phones too much

A recent survey has revealed what secondary school students in Ireland think about the use of social media and the impact it has on their schoolwork. 

Studyclix published the results of a survey they carried out on 1065 students for this year's Student Opinion survey, which was based on topics around technology, exams and the cost of living crisis. 

The results of the research found that 83% of students are worried that they use their phone too much.

38% of these students admitted they use their smartphone for more than 4 hours a day and 16% say they use smartphones for more than 6 hours a day.

A surprising 1 in 5 students reveal they have used Chat GPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot, to help them with their schoolwork.

54% of students who took part in the survey stated that short-form video apps such as TikTok and social media platforms like Instagram have ‘seriously impacted their concentration or ability to study’.

Snapchat and Instagram were found to be the most popular social media platforms, closely followed by TikTok, YouTube and BeReal.

Parents and students may want to consider the use of distraction-blocker apps in order to reduce the amount of time the student spends on their phone so they are less likely to get distracted by these social media platforms during study time.

In terms of exam stress, 74% of students say the biggest concerns in their life is exam pressure and stress, with 2 out of 3 students saying they have given up sports or a hobby in order to focus more on their studies. 

Students were also asked about the impact of the cost of living crisis on them in the survey. 64% of students are ‘very concerned’ about the cost of living, and a worrying 1 in 8 say their house has become colder since the crisis began.