Peace at home after children fall out with social media pals
from the ONS said. This was driven largely by girls, who reported an increase from 36 per cent in 2009 to 2010 to 46 per cent in 2015 to 2016.
This suggests children’s relationships with their fathers is now very similar for both boys and girls.
However the number of youngsters reporting high or very high happiness with friends has dropped from 86 per cent in 2015 to 81 per cent last year.
This finding coincides with an increase in the amount of time children are spending on social media network sites like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram. Those now using these sites for more than three hours in the course of a normal school day increased significantly from nine per cent in 2010/2011 to 13 per cent in 2015/2016.
And it appears girls are more than twice as likely than boys to spend this length of time on the sites.
Dawn Snape, assistant director at the ONS, said: “The quality of our relationships has a very significant impact on our sense of personal wellbeing – and children are no exception.
“This is why we look at their relationships with parents and friends. It’s encouraging to see that, among girls especially, family relationships are improving.
“Girls are now more likely to talk to their fathers about things that matter to them.
“Use of social networking is on the increase among children – among girls more than boys.
“However, children’s happiness with their friends has seen a drop.
“These findings can help to inform initiatives that are being adopted to reduce loneliness across all age groups in society.”
Rise of the inteRnet
Proportion of girls reporting “heavy social media” use rose from 12 per cent in 2010/11 to 17 per cent in 2015/16
Proportion of boys reporting “heavy social media use” rose from five per cent in 2010/11 to 8 per cent in 2015/16
Children aged 10 to 15 who reported “high happiness” with their friends fell from 86 per cent in 2015 to 82 per cent in 2017