The EVIDENCE

How childhood's changing

We’ve seen the impact with our own eyes, and now the data backs us up.

Study after study confirms that smartphones, and the social media platforms they unlock, are fundamentally reshaping childhood.

From anxiety to attention, social connection to sleep, the effects are deep, measurable – and mounting.

Opportunity Cost

hours a week

The average time UK teens spend on their smartphones – equivalent to a full-time job

The University of Birmingham, 2025

65%

The amount of time teens spend with friends daily has dropped 65% since the launch of the iPhone

American Time Use Survey

30%

Since 1975, the time children spend playing outdoors has fallen by 30% while screen-based activities have risen 23%

Mullan, 2019

Harmful Content

90%

Of girls and 50% of boys have been sent unsolicited explicit content

Ofsted, 2021

51%

Of UK 11-13 year olds have seen pornography, mostly unintentionally

BBFC, 2022

75%

Of 15-year olds questioned had been sent a beheading video

Digital Childhoods, 2022

Mental Health

Teens with problematic smartphone-use are three times as likely to have depression

Kings College London, 2024

1 in 5

16-18 year olds have felt life is 'not worth living' due to social media

Parentkind poll, 2024

74%

Of girls who got their first smartphone aged 6 had mental health issues as adults, compared to 46% who got them at 18

Sapiens Lab, 2023

Teens who spend more than 3hrs a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression

Jama Psychiatry, 2019

Addiction

46%

Of teens report that they are online 'almost constantly', via their phones

Pew Research Centre, 2024

2 in 3

Of 11-17 year olds 'often' or 'sometimes' find it difficult to put down their smartphone

Common Sense Media, 2023

1 in 4

Children have smartphone addiction, using it to the detriment of other activities

Kings College London, 2024

Attention

237

The average teen gets 237 smartphone notifications a day

Common Sense Media, 2023

minutes

The length of time it takes to refocus on a task after interruption

University of California Irvine, 2024

1-2

grades

Children at smartphone-free schools get GCSE results 1-2 grades higher

Policy Exchange, 2024

Family Life

33%

Of parents of kids with smartphones have cried over their child's phone obsession

HMD global survey of 10,000 parents, 2024

73%

Of parents say excessive smartphone-use is a source of family conflict

Vivo Switch Off study, 2024

51%

Of parents of kids with smartphones regret giving them one

HMD global survey of 10,000 parents, 2024

Cyberbullying

8 in 10

Among children aged 8-17 who are bullied, eight in ten experience it through a device

Ofcom, 2022

764,000

Children in England and Wales aged 10-15 years experienced online bullying in 2020, equivalent to 1 in 5

Office for National Statistics, 2020

Children who are currently experiencing a mental health problem are 3x more likely to have been bullied online in the last year

YoungMinds, 2017

Sleep

Children using smartphones at bedtime have over double the risk of a disrupted night's sleep

Kings College London, 2016

60%

Of teenagers report using their smartphone at night when they're supposed to be sleeping

University of South Australia, 2024

42%

Of students in one study were addicted to their smartphones -- and those who were had worse sleep mental wellbeing

Susmitha et al, 2024

Grooming

89%

Online grooming crimes against children in the UK have increased by 89% in six years

NSPCC, 2024

80%

Of teenage girls have been put under pressure to provide sexual images of themselves

Ofsted, 2021

1000%

Online imagery of primary school aged children being coached to perform sexual acts has soared by 1,000%

Internet Watch Foundation, 2023

110

The number of child sextortion attempts reported to UK police every month

National Crime Agency, 2025

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