{"id":70389,"date":"2023-10-24T00:32:19","date_gmt":"2023-10-24T04:32:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=70389"},"modified":"2023-10-24T00:32:19","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T04:32:19","slug":"how-much-time-do-kids-spend-on-devices-playing-games-watching-videos-texting-and-using-the-phone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/how-much-time-do-kids-spend-on-devices-playing-games-watching-videos-texting-and-using-the-phone\/","title":{"rendered":"How much time do kids spend on devices \u2013 playing games, watching videos, texting and using the phone?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

How many hours does the average American spend on devices each year? \u2013 Maxwell P., age 10<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Think about your favorite devices \u2013 your smartphone, laptop, tablet, computer or console \u2013 the things you use to play cool games, watch hilarious videos and connect and chat with friends.<\/p>\n

Many young people spend a lot of free time looking at them. Turns out that teens spend an average of\u00a08\u00bd hours on screens per day<\/a>, and tweens \u2013 that\u2019s ages 8 to 12 \u2013 are not far behind, at 5\u00bd hours daily.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind those numbers are for only social media, gaming and texting. They do not include the time that kids\u00a0used screens for schoolwork or homework<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, much of the time taken up by social media and texting is apparently not even enjoyable, much less productive. A 2017 study of teens ages 13 to 18 suggests they spend most of those hours on the phone\u00a0in their bedroom, alone and distressed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These lonely feelings correlate with the\u00a0rise in the use of digital media<\/a>. In 2022,\u00a095% of teens had smartphones<\/a>\u00a0compared with only 23% in 2011. And 46% of today\u2019s teens say they use the internet almost constantly, compared with 24% of teenagers who said the same in 2014 and 2015.<\/p>\n

Our team of psychiatrists<\/a>\u00a0who treat young people with digital addiction have many patients who spend over 40 hours per week on screens \u2013 and some, up to 80 hours.<\/p>\n

Think about it: If you spend \u201cjust\u201d an average of 50 hours per week on devices from ages 13 to 18 \u2013 the total time you will spend on screens equates to more than 12 years of school!<\/p>\n