Teens spend an average of 8 hours and 39 minutes on screens daily. This time spent on screens increased by 29.75% compared to 2015.
The data also highlights that screen time for teens is increasing rapidly. In fact, predictions from different research raise the alarm for screen time to increase even more in the future.
Let’s find out more details about the average screen time of kids, how they spend time on screen, recommended screen time that teens must spend on screen, the impact of the highest screen time on teens, and more in this article.
Average Screen Time For Teens 2024 —Editors Pick
- Teens are spending an average of 8 hours and 39 minutes on their screens each day, which is an increase of 1 hour and 17 minutes from 2019. (latest data recorded in 2021)
- Teen boys are on their screens for about 9 hours and 16 minutes daily, while girls spend around 8 hours and 2 minutes.
- Seventeen-year-olds typically spend about 5 hours and 48 minutes on their devices each day.
- When it comes to specific platforms, teens in the United States dedicate the highest amount of screen time to YouTube: about 1 hour and 56 minutes.
- Mississippi teens have the highest average daily screen time, clocking in at 6 hours and 11 minutes.
- The most significant chunk of screen time for teens is spent watching TV and videos, averaging 3 hours and 16 minutes daily.
- Teens aged 14 to 17 who spend more than 7 hours on screens are twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression or anxiety.
What Is The Average Screen Time For A Teenager?
The average screen time of teens is 8 hours and 39 minutes as per new data.
That’s an increase of 1 hour and 17 minutes compared to that recorded in 2019. At that time, the average time spent on screen by teens was recorded to be 7 hours and 22 minutes.
Besides, in 2015, teens spent 6 hours and 40 minutes on their screens on average.
Comparatively, the average time spent by tweens on-screen increased from 4 hours and 36 minutes in 2015 to 5 hours and 33 minutes in 2021.
Here is a table displaying the average daily screen time of teens and tweens recorded between 2015 and 2021.
| Year | Teens (13-18) | Tweens (8-12) |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 6 hrs 40 mins | 4 hrs 36 mins |
| 2019 | 7 hrs 22 mins | 4 hrs 44 mins |
| 2021 | 8 hrs 39 mins | 5 hrs 33 mins |
| Change Since 2015 | 29.75% | 20.65% |
Source: Common Sense Media
Average Screen Time For Teens: Demographics Breakdown
Teen boys spend 1 hour and 14 minutes more on screen than girls.
On average, teen Boys spent 9 hours and 16 minutes on screen, while girls spent 8 hours and 2 minutes on screen.
Meanwhile, tween boys spent 1 hour and 16 minutes more on screen compared to tween girls.
Here is a table displaying the average time spent by teen and tween boys and girls on screen.
| Gender | Teens (13-18) | Tweens (8-12) |
|---|---|---|
| Boys | 8 hours 2 minutes | 9 hours 16 minutes |
| Girls | 4 hours 55 minutes | 6 hours 11 minutes |
Source: Common Sense Media
Teens aged 17 years spend 5 hours and 48 minutes on average on their screens.
This is the highest time spent on screen compared to other teens. Meanwhile, 18-year-olds spent 5 hours on their screen.
Conversely, teens aged 13 years have the lowest average screen time of 4 hours and 6 minutes.
Here is a table displaying the average screen time of teens recorded for different ages.
| Age | Average Screen Time |
|---|---|
| 13 years | 4 hours 6 minutes |
| 14 years | 4 hours 30 minutes |
| 15 years | 5 hours and 6 minutes |
| 16 years | 4 hours 56 minutes |
| 17 years | 5 hours 48 minutes |
| 18 years | 5hours |
| 19 years | 4 hours and 30 minutes |
Source: Gallup
Average Screen Time of Teens In The United States
On average, teens in the United States spend 1 hour and 56 minutes of screen time on YouTube.
Teens spend the highest amount of their screen time on YouTube, followed by TikTok. However, when broken down by gender, boys spend more than 2 hours on YouTube and around an hour on TikTok, while girls spend more of their screen time on YouTube.
Other apps that record high screen times are Instagram and Facebook.
Here is a table displaying the screen time of US teens on different social media platforms and its distribution by gender.
| Social Media Platform | Time Spent By United States Teens | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | 1 hour 56 minutes | 2 hours 6 minutes | 1 hour 42 minutes |
| TikTok | 1 hour 30 minutes | 1 hour 6 minutes | 1 hour 56 minutes |
| 56 minutes | 42 minutes | 1 hour 6 minutes | |
| 18 minutes | 18 minutes | 24 minutes | |
| Twitter/x | 12 minutes | 12 minutes | 18 minutes |
| 6 minutes | 6 minutes | 12 minutes |
Source: Reuters
Average Screen Time Of Teens By States
Mississippi has the highest average daily screen time of teens at 6 hours 11 minutes.
Arkansas is the state with the second-highest average screen time of teens in the United States.
Alabama, Louisiana, and Florida are other states that have recorded higher screen time for teens in the United States.
Here is a table displaying the states that have the highest screen time for kids in the United States.
| State | Average Daily Teen Screen Time |
|---|---|
| Mississippi | 6 hours 11 minutes |
| Arkansas | 5 hours 54 minutes |
| Alabama | 5 hours 53 minutes |
| Louisiana | 5 hours 52 minutes |
| Florida | 5 hours 42 minutes |
| Nevada | 5 hours 40 minutes |
| Washington | 5 hours 39 minutes |
| Maryland | 5 hours 36 minutes |
| Georgia | 5 hours 33 minutes |
Source: Verizon
Alaska has the lowest average teen screen time in the United States at 4 hours and 14 minutes.
Vermont follows Alaska and has the highest average screen time of 4 hours 37 minutes 30 seconds.
All three, Vermont, Hawaii, and DC, have an average teen screen time of 4 hours 37 minutes, while Hawaii and DC have an average screen time of teens of 4 hours 37 minutes 48 seconds.
Wyoming, North Dakota, and Utah also have a lower teen screen time compared to other states in the country.
Here is a table displaying the states with the lowest average screen time among teens in the United States.
| States | Average Teen Screen Time |
|---|---|
| Alaska | 4 hours 14 minutes |
| Vermont | 4 hours 37 minutes 30 seconds |
| Hawaii | 4 hours 37 minutes 48 seconds |
| DC | 4 hours 37 minutes 48 seconds |
| Wyoming | 4 hours 40 minutes |
| North Dakota | 4 hours 46 minutes |
| Utah | 4 hours 51 minutes |
| Rhode Island | 4 hours 56 minutes |
| South Dakota | 4 hours 58 minutes |
| Montana | 4 hours 58 minutes |
Source: Verizon
Breakdown Of Screen Time Activities Of Teens
Teens spend the most time on TV and videos, 3 hours and 16 minutes.
Meanwhile, 1 hour and 46 minutes of screen time is spent on Gaming.
Other favorite activities of Teens that increase their screen time are social media scrolling, web browsing, e-reading, and more.
Here is a table displaying the distribution of the average screen time teens spend on different activities.
| Activity | Average Time Spent On Screen |
|---|---|
| TV and Videos | 3 hours 16 minutes |
| Gaming | 1 hour 46 minutes |
| Social media | 1 hour 27 minutes |
| Web browsing | 51 minutes |
| Other | 29 minutes |
| Video calling | 20 minutes |
| E-reading | 15 minutes |
| Content creation | 14 minutes |
Source: Common Sense Media
Recommended Screen Time For Teens
The recommended screen time for teens is 2 hours or less.
Teens must not have over 2 hours of screen time. Further, to balance it out, teens must spend at least 60 minutes in physical activities and sleep for 8 to 10 hours.
Further, toddlers are advised to spend no more than 1 hour on screen.
Source: National Center for Biotechnology Information
Impact Of Screen Time On Teen Health
Teens aged 14 to 17 years who have a screen time of more than 7 hours are twice as likely to have been diagnosed with depression or anxiety.
At the same time, they are twice as likely to have been taking medication for psychological or behavioral issues compared to the ones who use the screen for less than one hour a day.
Further, the teens who used screens for 4 hours per day were also found to have lower psychological well-being.
These numbers highlight that high screen time negatively affects the mental health of teens.
Source: NCBI
On average, the daily usage of technology and screen time for more than 5 hours resulted in lower academics for teen students.
Daily technology screen usage for 3 to 4 hours or more than 5 hours was associated with lower academic performance among females.
At the same time, daily use of technology for more than 5 hours is associated with lower academic performance among male students.
On the other hand, average daily screen time of up to 1 to 2 hours was positively associated with standardized math scores.
Parental Concerns And Monitoring On Teens’ Screen Time
On average, 47% of the parents stated that they limit the time their teen spends on the phone.
Conversely, 48% of the parents stated that they do not limit their teen’s time on the phone.
62% of the parents who limited their children’s time spent on the phone were 13—to 14-year-olds, while 37% of the parents were 15—to 17-year-olds limited the time spent by their children on the phone were of 13 to 14-year-olds, while 37% of the parents were of 15 to 17-year-olds.
Here is a table displaying the number of parents who limit the phone usage of their child compared to the parents who do not.
| Parents Of Teens By Age | Limit Their Phone Usage | Do Not Limit Their Phone Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 47% | 48% |
| 13 to 14 years | 62% | 29% |
| 15 to 17 years | 37% | 60% |
Source: Pew Research
39% of the parents reported using parental control to block, filter, or monitor their children’s online activities.
At the same time, 16% of the parents stated that they made use of parental control to restrict the usage of their teens’ mobile phones.
Further, 16% of the parents stated that they monitored the tools on their teen’s phone to keep track of their location.
Source: Pew Research Center.
Strategies To Reduce Teens’ Screen Time
Over 3 in 10 teens stated that they had taken steps to reduce their screen time.
Just 4 in 10 teens stated that they have taken steps to reduce their social media usage.
The same share of teens stated that they had limited their phone usage and
However, 63% of the teens have not yet limited their social media usage, and 60% of the teens have not limited their phone usage.
Source: Pew Research
3 in 10 teens stated that their parents set rules for the use of video games.
If teens are not able to reduce their screen time by their own efforts, then the parents take the situation into their own hands and have created rules for the usage of screens.
30% of the teens stated that their parents made rules for video game usage, while 36% stated that their parents had set rules for computer usage.
Further, 28% of the teens said that their parents made rules for watching TV and to restrict their screen time.
Source: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
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Conclusion: The Screen Time Of Teens Has Increased By Over One-Fourth Since 2015!
In 2015, the screen time of teens was 6 hours and 40 minutes, while in 2021 it was 8 hours and 39.
Considering the advancements in technology and the digital world, the increasing screen time of kids can be justified. However, higher screen time is directly associated with negative effects on mental and physical health and lower academics.
Hence, it is crucial to track and restrict the time kids and teens spend on the screen to ensure better health and academic scores.
