36% of teenagers are currently making problematic use of the Internet and social networks. This is indicated by the study published today by Unicef Andorra on the impact of technology on adolescents, which analyzed the data of more than 2,000 secondary school students in the country. In this sense, the Minister of Education and Higher Education, Ester Vilarrubla, has admitted that many of the data that emerge from the survey have surprised her, although this scientific evidence also represents an “opportunity to work on these risks” from now on.
Some of the most important data from the study, for example, refer to the risky behaviors of teenagers. In relation to this issue, the document reveals that 15% of teenagers have received sexual proposals via social networks, while 12% say they have sent personal photos or videos of erotic or sexual content. On the other hand, the study also indicates that 17% of teenagers could be making problematic use of video games, that 3% could have an addiction, and that 14.3% are possible cases of school bullying and cyberbullying. In the case of the dark web or ‘dark web’, more than half of the respondents say they know what it is and 8.5% even claim that they have accessed it at some point or at least tried, mostly second-stage boys of secondary education.
The Coordinator of Sociology of Andorra Recerca + Innovación (ARI), Joan Micó, in this sense, has highlighted that many of the negative behaviors are related to the fact that many teenagers take their mobile phones into the room and use them after midnight Beyond this evidence, which affects 17% of respondents, the study also reveals a very low level of parental control, specifically, with 5.20 points out of 10. For this reason, Vilarrubla – who has also shown some concern due to the close relationship between the use of technology and mental health – has advanced that the Government will work on several lines of action that will include prevention, education – where the focus will be mainly on families -, and also the renewal, once the problem has been detected.