Thirteen-year-olds have better relationships with their parents but fewer friends than a decade ago, according to research from the Economic and Social Research Institute.
The report which draws on data from the Growing Up in Ireland study, compares 13-year-olds in 2011 and 2012 to the same age group in 2021 and 2022.
It looks at how the lives of the age cohort has changed over the decade in terms of their relationships with family and friends, their day-to-day activities and their school experiences.
Young people report having smaller friendship groups than previously – 53% have three or fewer close friends compared with 41% ten years previously.
In addition, mothers are more likely to report that 13-year-olds have problems interacting with peers.
There has been an increase in weekly involvement in organised sports (from 65% to 70%) and a reduction in the proportion of 13-year-olds who have very low levels of engagement in hard and light exercise.
Their engagement in cultural activities (such as drama and dance) is stable, with over a third of young people involved in these pursuits.
There is evidence that a significant number of young people rarely read for pleasure. Almost half (48%) of boys from working-class or jobless households say that they read less than once a week or never.
Not surprisingly, there has been a shift away from traditional media (such as TV watching, but also playing video/computer games) towards other screen time (time on a phone or other device).
High levels of screen time are generally associated with less involvement in sport and cultural activities.
The recent cohort of young people had experienced junior cycle reform as well as a change in approaches to teaching and learning at both primary and second-level.
This was reflected in improved levels of interest in English (44% to 51%), maths (32% to 42%), and science (60% to 68%), according to the report.
However, this did not translate into improved attitudes to school.
Instead, there has been a decline in the proportion of girls who say they like school very much (from 35% to 24%), which according to the ESRI, is at least partly related to “increased emotional difficulties” over time among girls.
Over the course of the decade, mothers and fathers reported much lower levels of conflict with their teenage children.
Parents today are more likely to explain to their 13-year-olds what they did wrong rather than use punitive approaches like grounding, or shouting at their children.
The report examines policy implications for the findings and notes that while there has been a general improvement in many domains, the findings highlight “persistent differences” in the lives led by different groups of adolescents.
Financial strain continues to be associated with greater parent-child conflict.
This reinforces the need to target adequate levels of income support towards families with children to reduce conflict and improve wellbeing according to the ESRI.
It notes that young people from more disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to take part in various out-of-school activities, including sport and other forms of hard exercise, cultural engagement and reading.
This pattern is likely to contribute to an ongoing social gap in cognitive and physical outcomes among adolescents.
Marked gender differences
The ESRI also notes that there are marked gender differences in young people’s lives, with girls more likely to be involved in cultural activities and reading and boys more likely to be involved in sport and hard physical exercise.
Previous research suggests that these gendered patterns emerge early and in-and-out-of-school settings should seek to provide all young people with access to a range of activities from their early years onwards.
Gendered attitudes to school subjects are evident, with girls more positive about language-based subjects and boys more positive about maths and science.
It says gender gap in attitudes to maths and science, which have widened over time, is “an issue of policy concern”.
Author of the report Dr Emer Smyth, has said while the findings of better-quality relationships between teenagers and their parents, with less conflict and greater discussion are very encouraging, she has noted that financial pressures continue to be a source of friction in families.
“In addition, young people from more disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to take part in the kinds of out-of-school activities (like hard exercise and cultural engagement) that enhance their development, highlighting the need for subsidised activities in communities and supports for schools to provide access to a range of extracurricular options,” she said.
Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Inclusion and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman expressed hope that the information contained in the report would inform policy making across Government.
He noted that the report highlighted the importance of physical exercise on young people, the effects of the pandemic restrictions, as well as the impact of screen time on their psycho-social development.
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