It shows that a quarter of 11–18-year-olds spend most of their free time on their smartphone.
Almost half would like to break their phone viewing habit but two in five don’t know how, according to the survey by youth charity Onside.
This involves the views of more than 5,000 teenagers England-wide, with a special focus on the views of young people in the Northwest of England.
The charity says that “better, real-life alternatives to smartphone dependency” are needed.
“Specifically, for every young person to have access to high-quality youth centres and dedicated youth workers to help them build rich, real life social connections and experiences that are more compelling than the lure of a smartphone,” it adds.
Three in ten young people in the Northwest said more affordable leisure activities are needed, a quarter want more safe and fun places to socialise, and more than one in six want more opportunities to learn outside school.
Such a dependency on phones comes amid high levels of mental health problems among young people.
More than two in five young people in the Northwest of England surveyed say they experience a high level of loneliness. Half said they had high levels of anxiety.
Factors in phone dependency include feeling left out from friendship groups if they don’t use their device, cited by almost half of young people in the Northwest.
A quarter say they have more friends to talk to on their smartphone than in real life. One in 10 say their phone is better than real life.
“The message from young people is overwhelmingly clear - they want to ditch smartphone dependency and socialise in person but feel trapped in a habit that is leaving them lonely, isolated and anxious,” said Onside chief executive Jamie Masraff.
“We are letting young people down by treating time outside of school as an afterthought and not creating enough opportunities in real life that are better than life on screens.
“Without the provision of affordable, safe places to flourish outside of school, we risk a generation becoming adults who struggle to exist in a real-word environment, riddled with social anxiety and lacking in social skills.
“Evidence shows that youth clubs offer rich and vibrant environments where young people, supported by dedicated youth workers, have fun, build confidence, develop life skills and become happy, healthy, thriving adults.”
The findings have emerged during Youth Work Week, which is hosted by the National Youth Agency to highlight the range of support youth work organisations offer young people, including with their mental health.
“Providing more youth work opportunities for young people to have fun, learn new skills and receive the support of a trusted adult is a national emergency,” said NYA chief executive Leigh Middleton.
Young people “are crying out for opportunities outside formal education to access enrichment activities and to feel a sense of belonging in their communities”, he added.
