An online survey of over 1,000 secondary school students by Irish mobile education app, Exit Entry has highlighted the challenges faced by Irish teens during 2020. The vast majority (88%) stated that their education had been adversely affected in 2020, due to having missed out on a conventional school year. At an age when friendships are all-important, over half of those surveyed (55%) found not seeing their friends to be the most challenging aspect of Covid-19, ahead of home-schooling, the disrupted school year or anxiety about contracting the virus. This is the age when you stay connected almost exclusively by social media (76%) with the more traditional methods of simply texting or calling barely registering. While a lifeline for some, only 5% of students have used Zoom to connect with friends. Indicative of their view of 2020 was that when asked to sum up the year in an emoji, the top five included – the face-mask emoji, the crying emoji, the sick emoji, the confused emoji and the poo emoji! For social media, TikTok currently reigns supreme as the social media app of choice with 58% choosing it as their favourite, with Snapchat as second choice with 20%.
Newspapers, TV and Radio are now more relevant for a huge 85% of teenagers surveyed! Between spending more time at home and keeping even an informal tally (81%) of daily infection rates, teens are more in tune with the more traditional media sources for current affairs. Schoolwork: In a near 50/50 split, 52% of students claimed their schools were good at communicating with them during lockdown while 48% thought their school communicated poorly. 77% confirmed they did their home-schooling assignments while 23% admitted they didn’t do the assignments issued.
Mental Health: 59% of students felt they were supported with their mental health with 41% saying that they could have been supported better. Family was the biggest source of support with 49% of the vote, followed by friends as a close second. In a worrying discovery, 73% of students confirmed they have never been to their school guidance counsellor, however 74% said they would use an app like Exit Entry to help them discover opportunities. Activities: When asked on sources of comfort during isolation, 25% of teens sought comfort in sport and fitness, 21% indulged in Netflix, 9% found escapism on social media, 8% enjoyed their pets more, 7% turned to food while 2% of respondents delved into online gaming.
Exit Entry, the Irish mobile app which connects students with courses, opportunities and employers, understands that the younger generation will lead us all to a more connected world. Exit Entry, conducted the survey with over 1,000 secondary school students to champion young voices and get a general feeling on the current student landscape and mood in Irish secondary schools.
Lewize Crothers said, “We were blown away by the huge response to our student survey. It is so important to ask students how they feel and what their thoughts are. We must never assume we know. These students are our future, we must value and support them!”
Exit Entry and eir have launched a nationwide competition for secondary school students in Ireland running until St Patrick’s Day 17th March. Five students will have the chance to get their hands on a Huawei Smart Phone by entering the competition through the Exit Entry Secondary school app. To enter the competition students must simply download the Exit Entry App on a smartphone and upload any photo in the my profile section that reminds them of what any of these words mean to them – ADAPTABILITY , COLLABORATION, RESILIENCE, ENTHUSIASM AND SELF- DISCIPLINE (or if students are feeling brave they can upload a short video!)
Eir is one of the many employers featured on the Exit Entry app and who are using it to connect with students and graduates. Speaking about the collaboration with eir, Lewize Crothers said, “We are asking students to tell us through images or video what these words mean to them during this time of their life. How they have coped and built resilience during these challenging times. How they have adapted to a new world, what has motivated them and what routines have kept them going. We want their voices to be heard.”
Students can download the Exit Entry App now on the App Store or the Google Play Store. The Exit Entry app is a free tool, as the team believes that every student deserves equal access to career information and opportunities. No barriers, just equal opportunities for all. To find out more about the Exit entry & eir competition and how to enter to win one of 5 Huawei Smart Phones, visit : https://www.instagram.com/exitentryjobs/.
