As part of our Personal Development programme during CDC time, assemblies and in PSHE we spend time talking about safety online. Social media use is rapidly increasing in teens and the rise in Mental Health Problems is partly attributed to this.

The online world can be quite secretive and as parents and carers do we really know what our children are viewing and sharing about themselves online. Often children know more about the technology they are using than we do and can work around limits parents put on their phones.

Childnet have a great website for support and guidance for parents, helping them open up conversations about online content. They have some conversation started ideas as well as links of where to go for further support.

A  Europe Wide World Health Organisation Survey of teens across 44 countries in September 2024 reveals a sharp rise in problematic social media use among adolescents, with rates increasing from 7% in 2018 to 11% in 2022.

Key findings include:

• More than 1 in 10 adolescents (11%) showed signs of problematic social media behaviour, struggling to control their use and experiencing negative consequences. Girls reported higher levels of problematic social media use than boys (13% vs 9%).
• Over a third (36%) of young people reported constant contact with friends online, with the highest rates among 15-year-old girls (44%).
• A third (34%) of adolescents played digital games daily, with more than 1 in 5 (22%) playing for at least 4 hours on days when they engage in gaming.
• 12% of adolescents are at risk of problematic gaming, with boys more likely than girls to show signs of problematic gaming (16% vs 7%).