Dutch children use their smartphone to support their learning during lessons, but half of them admit they also use it as a diversion, according to research by the Monitor Youth and Media released on Tuesday.

The organisation polled 1,741 pupils between the ages of 10 and 18 in all levels of education.

The most popular sites are Google to look things up and apps like Magister to check schedules and grades. Some 45% use internet to test themselves and 39% to consult practice tests.

Where the smartphone is used as a diversion, 46% send test messages, 28% check their Facebook and Instagram pages and 51% listen to music, the research shows.

Silent

The pupils are aware that they allow themselves to be diverted by social media and look for ways to avoid this. Around one-third put their phones on silent and stop sending messages.

‘Youngsters are finding their own strategies for coping with social media,’ Remco Pijpers of the Monitor told the NRC. ‘But they still need the help of parents and the school.

Contact

Contact with teachers is done through email by 36%, through whatsapp by 9% and through Facebook by 13%.

One-third say they find it easier to learn on computers rather than with books. 73% prefer face-to-face contact with each other, but sending messages is also popular (68%).

Youngsters correct each other when they do something stupid on social media. 50% of the youngsters surveyed said they would know if they had done something silly by the reactions of their friends.