SPANISH NEWS: Technology addicted Spanish youth partying less

SPANISH youth are getting out the house and partying less due to their addiction to technology, a new study suggests

If in 2000 young Spaniards were most likely to be spending their free time out and about with friends and in bars and discos, today many are more likely to be connected to the internet.

The FAC Drug Addiction Assistance Foundation and Reina Sofia foundation report on the influence of technology on young people’s leisure time was based on interviews with 2,000 15 to 29-year olds and on workshop discussions with the youth

The information gathered showed that friendships and personal relationships are still priorities for young people, but that the top leisure time activities are now chatting online, surfing the net and using social media, followed by watching films and series online. Playing video games also occupies a significant chunk of Spanish youth’s free time.

Less than 23 per cent of those interviewed said they go out drinking and dancing at night.

The report identified downloading music, looking at fun web pages, contacting other people, searching for information and playing online as this age group’s most common reasons for using technology.

In regard to social media, just over 55 per cent said they believed it played an important or very important role in free time, especially as a way of getting to know more people and for sharing things that they do.