The average teenager spends nearly two hours a day on social networking sites while on the annual family holiday, a study has revealed. Researchers found that a third of parents claim their kids barely look up from their iPhone or Blackberry and are more concerned about keeping in touch with mates back home than spending time with family.
Parents also raised issues about their temperamental teens tweeting, downloading music and watching movies while on their annual break.
Half of the 2,000 parents of teenagers polled said they despair of their kids being constantly glued to gadgets. And 20 per cent claim to have urged their adolescents to get more involved with activities. However, 34 per cent of parents said they could understand that teenagers got bored on holidays.
The poll found that the most popular experience that children look for on a holiday is visiting a water park, and this is the best way to drive them away from technology.
A spokesperson for Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai, who conducted the poll, said: “The poll found many teenagers were occupied by their gadgets, but in your teenage years you are keen to keep in touch with friends and social media makes that easier than ever – but you can understand parents’ frustration.
“Parents have a hard job at keeping children entertained on holiday, especially if your children are different ages and interested in different things.
“It can be a juggling act to keep everyone happy, but holidays shouldn’t be like that – it’s important to choose a location that suits everyone whether they are toddlers, teenagers or middle-aged.”
The poll found that on a typical 10-day holiday, teenagers would be glued to smart phones, laptops or tablets for nearly 20 hours, with Facebook and texting among the most popular activities. One in ten like to upload holiday snaps to Instagram, and 40 per cent are hooked on online games.
With all the distractions, a third said they were reluctant to make friends. Half of the parents polled said their kids will appreciate the effort that goes in to planning a family holiday when they are older.
Although mobile phones and laptops hadn’t made an appearance back then – six in ten parents said they were similar when they were young, and usually had their heads buried in books or were plugged in to a personal stereo.
