Are Teens Spending Too Much of Their School Time on Their Phones?

 

According to a new study by Seattle Children’s Research Institute, most teens spend a quarter of their school time using their phones for scrolling, texting or streaming. The study tracked 117 children between the ages of 13 to 18 who had smartphones to know about their usage habits during and after the school hours. Researchers say that it is important to know where children are spending their screen times and if these screen times are displacing other activities like learning.

The study found that most teens are spending about 1.5 hours on their smartphones out of their 6.5 school hours in 2024 while 1 in 4 children are spending more than 2 hours on their smartphones during school hours. On average, teenagers are spending 5.6 hours everyday on their phones overall. The apps these teens are using the most on their smartphones are audio apps, email apps, video streaming apps, messaging apps and Instagram.

The researchers say that these studies are only based on smartphone use among teenagers and not overall screen use so we are underestimating how much screen time teenagers are having in a day. The study also said that social media use is making teenagers depressed but the use of social media apps among teenagers is still rising.