Next of Kim

•    According to research from David Lloyd Clubs it’s all because children today are spending more time on their phones than they are talking with their family
•    Children spend an average of 2 hours 50 minutes on their phone every day, and only 2 hours talking to their parents and family
•    43% of children can’t remember a day when they didn’t use their phone

One in four (23%) British children currently know more about the lives of celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber and Harry Styles than they do the lives of their own parents and siblings. Why? Because they are now spending more time on their phones and online than they are talking to their own family.

That’s according to the findings of new research by David Lloyd Clubs, which was conducted with 1,000 parents and their children (aged six – 16). Indeed, on average, children today will spend an average of two hours and 50 minutes every day on their phones, but only two hours talking to their immediate family.

To combat the technology obsession, David Lloyd Clubs is trialling ‘Tech Free Sundays’, where family areas in its 83 clubs across the country will become no tech zones - encouraging families to reconnect with one another.

With mobile apps like Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter available at their finger tips (platforms where celebrities share more and more of their lives than ever before) an estimated 1.8 million children are now becoming more immersed in the lives of celebs than their own loved ones*.

Indeed, by the age of 10 a fifth (21%) of children say they know more about celebrities than they know about their mum, dad and brothers and sisters. Sadly, this has resulted in 17% of children saying they know Kim Kardashian’s birthday, yet one in 8 (12%) don’t know their parents’ dates of birth.

The older children get, the more time they spend on their mobiles with 16 year olds using their devices for three hours and 47 minutes per day whilst only talking to their parents for one hour and 49 minutes.

Phones have seeped into every area of children’s lives, with one in six (18%) saying they use their phone at the dinner table. What’s more, 21% use their phone in the bathroom and 29% during lunch times and school breaks. 43% of children said they couldn’t remember a day when they didn’t use their mobile device.

Even the stereotypical late-rising teenager is becoming a thing of the past as a result of technology, with one in five (20%) teens saying they now wake up early to use their phone or tablet before getting out of bed.

The obsessive phone usage is worrying parents though, with 46% of the 1,000 polled by David Lloyd Clubs confessing they think their children are addicted to technology and 42% saying their kids are irritable when asked to stop using their phone or tablet. One third (33%) of parents say they feel they are constantly nagging their kids to log off.

Additionally, 27% of parents believe their children miss out on hobbies or seeing their friends because they favour spending time on their phones. Not so, say the children, however, with one in three (33%) youngsters arguing that without their phones they would be cut off from their friends and experience ‘FOMO’ (fear of missing out).

Worryingly, children as young as six admitted they feel pressurised by friends to use their phones to use social media and take selfies – despite these platforms having supposed minimum age requirements.

However, it would seem parents are no angels when it comes to being tech role models, with the average parent spending three hours, eight minutes on their phones and tablets each day – 56 minutes more than they spend talking to their children each day**.

Sinead Johnson, Group Family Manager at David Lloyd Clubs says, ‘Technology is a huge part of our lives now and of course we have to rely on it for work but it can also have such a negative impact on quality time with our family and friends. Here at David Lloyd Clubs we want to offer families a chance to come in and switch off - whether that’s chatting over a meal, hitting the pool together  or even taking up a new hobby – we want to encourage families to get talking again. And what better way than sport? It’s is a great way to socialise and keep you fit and healthy as well as helping with your mental and emotional wellbeing.’

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For more information please contact [email protected] or 020 7234 9160

Notes to editors:
Based on a survey by OnePoll, commissioned by David Lloyd Clubs of 1,000 adults and 1,000 children aged between six and 16.

*According to the ONS there are approximately 7,990,898 children aged 6 – 16. 23% of this figure is approximately 1,837,906.
**Three hours, eight minutes on phones and tablets vs. two hours 14 minutes talking to their children