Almost two-thirds of schoolchildren would not mind if social media had never been invented, research suggests.
A survey of almost 5,000 students, mainly aged between 14 and 16, found a growing backlash against social media – with even more pupils (71%) admitting to taking digital detoxes to escape it.
Benenden, an independent girls boarding school in Kent, told BBC News that its pupils set up a three-day “phone-fast”.
Some girls found fears of being offline were replaced by feelings of relief.
Sixth former Isobel Webster, 17, said: “There’s a feeling that you have to go on Instagram, or whatever [site], to see what everyone’s doing – sometimes everyone’s talking about something and you feel like you have to look at it too”.