6 Minute English / Keeping kids off smartphones

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Hello. This is 6 Minute English, from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

And I'm Beth.

Can I ask you something, Beth ? Beth? Hello, Beth? Are you listening?

Oh, sorry, Neil! I was er checking my Instagram, and ugh Facebook and, just sending this email done! Now, what did you want?

Well, I wanted to ask if you're getting addicted to your smartphone, but clearly the answer is 'yes'!

Actually, Neil, I am worried about my smartphone use, and it's not just me. Concerns are growing about the negative effect smartphones are having on adults and, even more, on children.

Studies show that girls who spend more time on social media are more likely to be anxious or depressed, and smartphones have also been linked to delayed brain development and poor sleep.

Even so, around 60% of British eight-to-eleven-year-olds have a smartphone. So, in this programme, we'll be asking: are kids better off without a phone? And, of course, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary too.

But first, put your phone away, Beth, because I have a question for you. The US has one of the highest levels of smartphone use, but according to a recent survey, how long does the average American 11-to-14-year-old spend looking at a screen every day? Is it: