BT survey reveals that 79% of students are accessing social media while at school

Belfast , Thursday 11 September, 2014: Students were today reminded to ‘Wake Up’ to the many benefits of  the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition and submit their one page entry as the closing date of 1st October approaches.

BT made the call out to students and teachers across Northern Ireland to submit their entry as it released details of the social media habits of secondary school students across the island of Ireland. Over 1,000 individuals between the ages of 13 and 18 participated in the BT Young Scientist survey, which found that 79 per cent (pc) of students are accessing social media at school.

When asked about the duration of the average single visit to social media sites, 26pc claim to spend between two and five minutes on social media per visit; one third of respondents admitted staying online between six and ten minutes per visit with 38pc spending more than ten minutes on social media sites per individual visit.

Further results found that 59pc of students depend on social media and the internet to help with schoolwork, while 71pc of students said they feel that social media has helped them to identify and connect with friends with similar interests.

Mari Cahalane, head of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition commented, “Over the past number of years there has been a significant increase in social media related projects at the exhibition. Students from across the island of Ireland have submitted projects on a wide range of related topics such as mobile application development, psychometric testing through social media and even ways to determine if you’re being lied to on Facebook. 

“This is what the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is all about – helping students to engage in the spheres of science, technology, engineering and maths through channels that really interest them and are relevant to their lives. Almost any interest could be a potential project, so I would encourage students to get thinking and submit their one page entry before 1st October.”

The 2015 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition will take place in the RDS, Dublin from 7th -10th January 2015.  There are over 120 awards to be won including the prestigious BT Young Scientist & Technologist of the Year which was won by Paul Clarke of St. Paul’s College, Raheny in January this year.  Wellington College in Belfast picked up five awards, including the Best Northern Ireland School Award.

The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is organised by BT Ireland, one of the country’s leading communications and networked IT service providers, and is supported by a number of valued partners including the Department of Education Northern Ireland and MATRIX. For more information on the exhibition and for details on how to enter, log onto www.btyoungscientist.com or follow the exhibition on Twitter @BTYSTE.

ENDS

For media enquiries, please contact:Louise Carson, Aiken PR, 028 90 663000 or louise@aikenpr.comGina Kelly, Communications, BT Ireland, 01 432 5110 or 086 7805451

About the researchThis research was commissioned by BT and driven online through the BTYSTE’s social media channels; Facebook and Twitter. The research reflects a nationally representative sample of 1,049 respondents aged from under 13 – 18 years and encompassing 26 counties in the Republic of Ireland. Fieldwork was conducted from 16th July – 8th August 2014.About BTBT is one of the world’s leading providers of communications services and solutions, serving customers in more than 170 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to its customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband, TV and internet products and services; and converged fixed/mobile products and services. BT consists principally of five lines of business: BT Global Services, BT Business, BT Consumer, BT Wholesale and Openreach.

For the year ended 31 March 2014, BT Group’s reported revenue was £18,287m with reported profit before taxation of £2,312m. British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.

For more information, visit www.btplc.com