Young people spend FIVE hours a day looking at a screen

There have long been fears about the time children spend on their phone, and new research has revealed youngsters are now spending nearly five hours a day in front of a screen. In 2000, young people spent two hours and 59 minutes doing screen-based activities - mainly watching TV and playing computer and video games, the study found. In 2015, this had risen to four hours and 45 minutes as children increasingly use their technology while doing other things such as socialising and studying. However, new Oxford University research has revealed that as digital past-times have become intertwined with daily life, children have adapted their behaviours to include their devices. Much like adults, they are able to multi-task and also do all the things that they would do anyway. Gender differences - Although boys and girls spend similar amounts of time using devices, boys spend significantly more time playing videogames compared to girls', spending 50 mins per day, compared girls' 9.