Balearic children: 9 in 10 can access a mobile

Across the Balearic Islands, nine in ten children have access to at least one mobile phone. Eight in ten can use a laptop, tablet or games console. The figures come from a survey by Estudios de Opinión de Baleares, released by the Balearic government’s Department of Economy, Finance and Innovation on Wednesday, 11 November.

Screen time rises at weekends

On weekdays, 36% of children spend between 30 and 90 minutes a day using devices for fun. Another 29% spend more than 90 minutes doing so. At weekends, 40% spend at least 90 minutes a day on leisure activities with devices.

Time away from screens rises too. At weekends, 26% spend at least 180 minutes a day on leisure activities without devices, compared with 13% who spend that long on activities with them.

Adults set rules but worry about content

Some adults hand over devices to keep children occupied: 28% of adults with children do so when the children are bored or while the adults are busy with something else. Adults rate their concern about too much screen time at 7.8 out of 10. Inappropriate content, including violence and pornography, worries 62% of respondents; contact with strangers online worries 45%.

Among adults with children, 55% know about and use parental controls. Clear rules are set and followed by 56%, while 28% set rules that are followed only irregularly.

When should children get their own phone?

Asked about a first mobile with internet access, 34% of respondents choose ages 14 to 15, while 26% choose 16 to 17. Six in ten say access to social media and artificial intelligence should begin at 16 or later.

Views on learning are mixed. Technology makes learning easier for pupils, according to 59% of respondents, while 22% say it makes it harder. About half of adults also say children should not use artificial intelligence to complete school tasks.

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com