VMBO students spend 3.5 hours a day online on their phones
VMBO students between 12 and 16 spend an average of 3.5 hours a day online on their mobile phones. They spend that time mainly on YouTube and WhatsApp. On a computer, these young people are online for an average of 2.8 hours a day. This emerges from research by Dialogic, commissioned by the organisers of the Dutch Media Literacy Week (Week van de Mediawijsheid).
Tanja Jadnanansing, MP for the PvdA, received the research on Friday in Hilversum at the launch of the themed week. Dialogic surveyed 541 VMBO students for the study.
According to the research, young people are in many respects not conscious enough in how they use media. 80 per cent do not check how reliable their sources are. Because of the range of media they use, 24 per cent of those surveyed are easily distracted from homework and other tasks, and 12.5 per cent have at some point bullied someone online.
Media Literacy Week is aimed at young people between 10 and 14, their parents and their schools. One aim is to teach primary school pupils and students in secondary education to be aware of the privacy risks of using Twitter and Facebook.
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