By Avril Horan

TEEN screen time levels in Galway have reached a point where phone addiction clinics may soon be needed, a County Councillor has warned.

Cllr Andrew Reddington (FG) issued the warning after the latest Planet Youth report revealed that 65% of teenagers spend three hours or more per day on social media.

The findings, presented to Galway County Council this month, are based on responses from 2,191 pupils across 35 secondary schools and four Youthreach centres in the county.

The report also shows that over three quarters of 15-to-16-year-olds keep their phones in their bedroom at night, and nearly one in five receive a phone at age ten or younger.

Cllr Reddington highlighted the number of social media apps available to children and linked high phone use to increased levels of bullying. He suggested that phone addiction clinics could soon become necessary if trends continue.

Meanwhile, sleep is another area of difficulty for Galway’s young people, with just over half of teens (52%) saying they do not get the recommended amount each night.

The report also highlights high levels of late-night socialising, with 36% reporting that they were outside after midnight at least once in the week before the survey.

And 32% said they hang out with friends in the streets weekly, while 12% do not achieve the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity in a typical week.

“Unsupervised leisure time correlates with higher levels of substance use,” the report states.

“Teenagers who report hanging out in the streets regularly are nine times more likely to use cannabis, and teens who spend unsupervised time at a friend’s home are five times more likely to get drunk.

“Being outside after midnight is also a risk factor for substance-use behaviour. Teenagers who report being outside after midnight in the last week are two and a half times as likely to get drunk.”

More males than females reported good mental health, while 23% of those who chose ‘other’ or preferred not to specify their gender also reported good mental health.

The report by the Western Region Drug and Alcohol Task Force is part of the rollout of the Icelandic Prevention Model, which aims to reduce substance use among adolescents by targeting risk factors in their environment.

The data comes from a comprehensive lifestyle questionnaire completed every two years by all 15- and 16-year-olds in participating schools.

The report recommends that teenagers have access to a range of quality, supervised, structured activities as they get older, as a protective factor for substance use and to promote physical and mental wellbeing.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.

Pictured: Cllr Andrew Reddington