Ofcom report: Is hanging out with friends in person 'too much effort'?

A study suggests that some young people think it is "too much effort" to hang out with their friends in person

A new report that has come out today suggests that some children think it is "too much effort" to meet up with their friends in person.

It reports how some young people prefer to hang out with their friends online because it is "easier" than meeting up face to face.

Young people do this using social media and instant messaging services.

The Ofcom study, which gathered the views of 40 young people aged four to 16 years old, suggested that this was having an effect on how often young people were seeing their friends face to face outside of school.

But it wasn't just meeting up with friends that could be seen as too much effort.

It was also suggested that some young people feel the same way about taking part in activities outside of their homes, like after-school clubs.

Often it was adults who made these hobbies happen, rather than young people themselves pushing to take part in them.

The three ways that children like to spend their free time in the evenings and at weekends was usually on social media, watching videos (usually short ones) or gaming.

The study also found that some children thought that doing activities in their free time was more effort than they wanted

We want to know your thoughts on what this study found out.

Is it too much effort to meet up with your friends in person or do you still like to do this? Would you prefer to spend time at home online than outside doing an activity or taking part in a club?

Do you think spending time with your friends online is the same as spending time with them in person?

Send your views in a video by clicking here or let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Ofcom is the group in charge of monitoring what goes on TV and radio in the UK, as well as overseeing communication services like phones and broadband.