Cowes-based charity UKSA is launching a screen time reduction trial in a bid to ‘ease anxiety’ amongst its young students, as a 1/3 of an increasingly screen-dependent Generation Z worry they’re spending too much time on social media. According to a GWI 2023 Report on Gen Z – students aged 16 to 25 – 20% of the generation say social media causes them anxiety, 25% more likely than other generations to say this. Globally, they’re more likely than other generations to report having a mental health condition and almost 33% say they’re prone to anxiety, a higher proportion than any other age group with the rates of anxiety and stress also rising. UKSA is aiming for a 20% reduction in screen time in a trial with 13 of its Further Education students and 3 of its staff. The trial over a 4-week period aims to encourage non-screen-based activities, boost socialising in person and reduce social media-induced anxiety. Kim Fry, Safeguarding and Welfare Manager at UKSA, has said:
“Whilst we appreciate that our young people need technology to study and connect, we value the idea that screen-free time is important for making personal connections and experiencing the world in real and actual terms.” “Despite struggling the most, this report demonstrates that Gen Z is also the least comfortable opening up about how they feel compared to older generations. This trial will give us the opportunity to talk to the students about their screen habits, discuss how the changes are making them feel during the trial and then the results afterwards with an aim to encourage the students to continue with their new habits.” “We want to work with the students to help them individually identify the causes of the screen time, what alternatives might be available. Are they scrolling out of boredom rather than need? And how can we address that to create new, more healthy habits”.
UKSA will work with the students to establish the times they typically spend more time on screens and offer alternative activities during these times with students sharing their screen data on a weekly basis with the UKSA team.
OMG!! How are these frail little snowflakes ever going to manage as adults???
I think it’s important to remember who you’re talking about and how your words may effect those included. James, I believe before looking to others you should look towards yourself! Who’s the flipping snowflake here, a group trying to stop their mobile addiction or a lonely man in their bedroom tugging off to an island echo page. Get a life.
Good to see the diversity
Ughhh tell me about it
Yet I bet you were cheering on the two previous Home Secretaries, weren’t you?
Strange, why are youngsters using social media whilst attending UKSA anyway? I assumed this was a place they went to learn about sailing?
I wonder if the people posting here, making the usual disparaging remarks, thought about the irony considering how much time they seem to spend online.