Pupils aged 9 woken by mobiles ten times a night

CHILDREN as young as nine are being woken up more than ten times a night by constant messages on their phones, experts warn.

A survey reveals youngsters are now so addicted to social media that they cannot bear to turn their devices off at night and many sleep with them beside their beds.

The trend is causing sleep deprivation in both primary and secondary school pupils, meaning they are unable to concentrate in class.

One in ten youngsters aged 11 to 18 spend more than an hour on their mobiles after going to bed.

Many parents are unaware that their children are checking WhatsApp, Snapchat and Facebook in bed – with 100 notifications coming in overnight in some cases.

The poll was carried out by online safety organisation Digital Awareness UK with the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference, which represents top private schools.

Charlotte Robertson, director of DAUK, said: ‘Students often tell us that they are exhausted due to the fact their mobile devices are flashing, buzzing and pinging throughout the night telling them what they’ve been tagged in, invited to or who’s messaged them.’ She said that although younger children were not surveyed, she regularly spoke to pupils as young as nine who wake up more than ten times a night to check their phones.

The poll of almost 3,000 pupils aged 11 to 18 found 45 per cent admitted they checked their mobile phones after going to bed.

Of those, 23 per cent checked more than ten times a night. Almost 70 per cent who used a phone in bed said it affected their school work.