It’s no surprise to hear that teenagers are spending more and more time on their devices and social media.

But experts are raising serious concerns about the impact this is having on their social skills and mental health.

A new study from the Australian Longitudinal Study into Australian Children found children aged between 10 and 11 spend 3.5 hours alone on weekdays and 4.5 hours alone on the weekends.

But by the age of 14-15, they’re spending just under 5 hours alone every day during the week, and over 6 hours each day on the weekends.

They’re spending this time in their rooms on their devices, playing games, on streaming services, etc, and is isolating them from their friends and family.

Child psychologist and parenting expert Dr Michael Carr-Gregg tells John and Erin it’s no surprise that with the rise of smartphones and social media, there’s been a rise in mental illnesses.

In fact, 1 in 7 primary school children and a quarter of high schoolers suffer from a mental illness.

Not only that, there’s been a serious impact on their physical health.

Dr Carr-Gregg says parents should use the Family Zone app to try and limit the amount of time children spend on their devices.

“It’s my house, my rules”.