Students of secondary schools in Ireland are addicted to smart phones: Study

A survey conducted as part of compiling annual Student Attitudes Index by a website has found that almost half the children in Irish secondary schools are addicted to smartphones.

The addiction causes the students to routinely and secretly check devices in class, the study said.

60 per cent of students are worried about how much they used their phones, 80 per cent of more than 2,600 children polled said they also used the devices for educational purposes.

The survey found that Snapchat remains the most used social media platform, with Instagram pushing Facebook out of the number two slot and Twitter someway adrift in fourth place. Almost one in 10 students said they had a Tinder account.

The survey also questioned students on their attitudes to exercise, the gardaí, student loans and the controversy surrounding the National Maternity Hospital.

It revealed that girls, in particular, are turning their backs on exercise as they move up through the years at secondary school and suggests that 53 per cent of girls in sixth year do not participate in PE classes at all compared to just 15 per cent in second year.