SPECIAL REPORT DAY 1: ‘Everyone else is doing it and you do get good stuff’

“Social media. It’s second nature to us. It’s massive. It’s everywhere. It’s at home, on the way to school, in class, at dinner, in bed,” one of the 16-year-old girls we interviewed said.

“I just have to know what’s going on really. I know I feel guilty sometimes. I should be doing more with my time. I should be reading. It’s always on the computer and I feel if I don’t go on it, I’m missing out, ” admitted her classmate.

Another 16-year-old said she had to go two weeks without her smartphone during her family summer holidays. It was a decision enforced on her by her parents. They ensured she didn’t have access to an internet connection either. “It was kind of terrible but I got used to it. I read a lot but I missed out on a lot,” she said.