Shocking reality of kids mobile use revealed as teens bombarded with 100s of messages & spend 5 hours a day on phones
TEENS are bombarded with up to 360 phone messages a day – and could spend a total of 25 YEARS glued to their mobiles, a Sun on Sunday probe reveals.
Concerned experts are warning that the shock usage poses a threat to kids' mental health.
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We tracked four youngsters' phone use over seven days and the results surprised even their parents.
One 16-year-old got almost 2,500 alerts — that is nearly 360 messages a day and one text every two-and-a-half minutes.
Another was sent more than 1,600 messages, and one 15-year-old admitted she had messaged a friend back and forth for 967 consecutive days.
Our shock findings come as a new report lays bare the amount of time kids spend on their devices — and experts fear youngsters' mental health is being hit by extreme usage.
Labour MP Joani Reid, who is leading the call for a ban on smartphones in schools, said: 'Hundreds of messages a day isn't just about distractions in school — it's about safety.
'Every notification could expose our kids to serious dangers — grooming by predators, cyberbullying and graphic, harmful content. Apps like Snapchat and TikTok often shield these interactions from parents, leaving teenagers vulnerable and isolated.
'We need tougher regulations forcing tech companies to prioritise child safety over profit. Parents alone can't monitor every message or app — Government and schools must step up.'
Addictive apps
A new study has found that the average secondary school pupil is on their mobile for five-and-a-half hours each day.
If they keep that up, they could spend up to 25 years of their lives staring at a phone screen.
And 68 per cent of youngsters polled by Fluid Focus said their academic performance was affected by their smartphone use, with 40 per cent admitting to constantly checking their mobile while studying.
Popular teenager Art McGrath, 16, from Leyton, East London, had the most smartphone traffic of all the youngsters we tracked — receiving a staggering 2,493 messages in seven days.
His notifications comprised 2,320 Snapchat messages, 112 WhatsApp chats and 61 Instagram alerts. This averages out to 356 messages a day.
Art said: 'Snapchat is the main messaging app. I've been on it since I was around 12. Everyone is on it.
'I have groups with different friendship groups. I don't give myself phone breaks. If I get a message, I can end up stuck in a loop.'
Snapchat is the biggest player in the world of youngsters' messaging apps and is used by 74 per cent of teens in the UK, according to Ofcom.
It has been accused of exposing youngsters to bullying and grooming, and slated for its addictive qualities.
'Zero tolerance'
Snapchat insists it has a 'zero tolerance' approach to sexual exploitation and says it removes harmful content immediately.
Its Streaks function, which tracks the consecutive days two users have messaged each other, has been criticised for being addictive.
But bosses at the tech firm say it is just a 'fun thing'.
Grace Dainty, 15, from Witney, Oxfordshire, maintains a Streak of 967 days with one pal.
Over seven days, she received 1,620 messages, with the vast majority — 1,594 — on Snapchat.
She said: 'All of my friends, bar one, are on Snapchat. I have a Streak with my best friend of 967. I don't want to let this go. When I get an alert, I look at my phone and respond straight away if it's good.
'If a close friend didn't reply straight away, I would be concerned.'
Mum Caroline, a 46-year-old social worker, said: 'I was surprised at the number of messages. This has opened my eyes to how Snapchat works.'
While Grace may feel as if constant messaging is key to her friendships, psychologist Dr Charlotte Armitage insists: 'As much as people feel like they're connected through phones, they're not — it's a pseudo-connection.
'We need a connection in real life to feel the benefits. Our relationships are crucial for health and life longevity, so we become more disconnected.
'It's snowballed in the last five years and it's getting worse with AI, because not only are people not talking to other people, in apps they are now talking to bots instead.'
Dr Armitage, the author of Generation Zombie, also warned of the addictive nature of messaging apps.
She said: 'The brain becomes used to frequent stimulation and struggles to focus without it, as it starts to search for the next hit of dopamine.
'This has consequences for a child's attentiveness, interpersonal skills such as listening in conversation, ability to engage in academia or any other activity that doesn't provide a dopamine release at regular intervals.'
A study from King's College London found that one in four children has 'problematic smartphone usage', meaning they use their devices in a way that is consistent with addiction.
Banned in lessons
But none of the teens we polled considered their phone use to be unusual or over the top. They all went to bed with their devices and checked them as soon as they woke.
Every one of them was allowed to take their handset to school, though the vast majority were banned from using devices in lessons.
Some continued to text anyway, while others said teachers didn't enforce the rules.
Lottie Taylor, 14, from Farsley, Leeds, received 1,243 messages over a week — 75 per cent of them via Snapchat.
She said: 'I like Streaks and have 39 people I send to on a daily basis.
'I wake up and the first thing I'll do is get on my phone. The longest streak I've got is 574 with my best friend. I like to keep them up. It's a symbol of friendship. I check my Streaks last thing at night as well.'
I wake up and the first thing I'll do is get on my phone. The longest streak I've got is 574 with my best friend. I like to keep them up. It's a symbol of friendship. I check my Streaks last thing at night as well
Lottie Taylor
Lottie's mum Lydia, 43, a primary school teacher, said: 'It's hard to get Lottie moving on a morning because she won't get out of bed until she's done her Streaks.'
In Snapchat messages shared with The Sun on Sunday, Lottie and her friend discuss meeting up in the park.
Lottie says: 'Ikk [I know] we need to hang out… Bruh I just washed my hair.' Her pal replies: 'Aw bless. Anyway meet you at mine then we'll out.'
Meanwhile, Logan Hook, 15, from Pudsey, West Yorkshire, received 528 messages in a week on Snapchat and WhatsApp.
He said: 'I'm in a couple of WhatsApp groups for football mates, and one with school mates.
'I don't think I get a crazy amount of messages, but I will chat to arrange stuff or talk football.'
In messages on a football team WhatsApp group, sneakily sent during class time, one friend laments his poor performance on the pitch, saying: 'I was awful.'
Another pal adds: 'I didn't play bad but didn't play good either', before Logan replies: 'What do you think ur doing texting in class'.
ART McGRATH, 16 - Leyton, East London
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Messages per week: 2,493
Average per day: 356
Platforms: Snapchat, WhatsApp, Instagram
Parent: Dad Nick, 54, a writer, gets around 160 messages in a day, mostly on WhatsApp.
LOGAN HOOK, 15 - Pudsey, West Yorks
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Messages per week: 528
Average per day: 75
Platforms: Snapchat and WhatsApp
Parent's use: Mum Kirsty, 44, a doctor's receptionist, gets around 55 messages a day, mainly on WhatsApp.
LOTTIE TAYLOR, 14 - Farsley, Leeds
Messages per week: 1,234
Average per day: 178
Parent's use: Mum Lydia, 43, has around 186 messages a day on WhatsApp, texts and Instagram.
'Getting more addictive'
By Daisy Greenwell, Founder of the campaign group Smartphone Free Childhood
THE amount of messages these kids receive is staggering.
I was also struck by how long teens are maintaining their Snapchat Streaks for.
These findings make me particularly angry because it's a design seemingly aimed at keeping kids on their phones for as long as possible.
Children are being manipulated into staring at a rectangular screen when they could be out discovering the real world with real friends.
The amount of time kids spend with friends has plummeted since 2010, when they started getting smartphones, while cases of teenage anxiety, depression and self-harm have skyrocketed.
Seven in ten students believe phone use has harmed their academic performance. It's not surprising!
Studies show it takes 20 minutes to refocus after your attention has been broken.
If that's happening hundreds of times a day, that's a large portion of your day you're not focused on what you're doing or what's happening around you.
Phones will not stop getting more addictive unless change happens.
We are working with politicians to pressure the Government into stopping profit-driven companies from infiltrating our kids' minds.
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