Half of US teenagers watch screens for more than 4 hours every day

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 30, 2024 (HealthDay News). According to a new survey, half of young Americans between the ages of 12 and 17 spend at least four hours a day in front of smartphones, computers or televisions.

“As technology has become more integrated into the lives of teenagers, screen time in the United States has continued to increase,” noted a group of researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

All that screen time may not be good for your teen’s psyche: A study found that while about 27 percent of teens who spent four or more hours a day in front of a screen said they felt anxious in the past two weeks, that’s true. only for 12.3% of teenagers who spend fewer hours in front of the screen.

Self-reported depression rates were also much higher (about 26%) among teens who spent four hours or more in front of a screen than those who didn’t (9.5%).

The new data comes from responses of American teenagers to a federal survey conducted between mid-2021 and the end of 2023.

The survey found little difference in screen use by gender, with just over 48% of boys watching TV or looking at their phones or computers four or more hours a day, as did 52.5% of girls.

However, screen time appears to increase with age: while 45.6% of 12- to 14-year-olds spent four or more hours a day on media, this figure rose to 55% of 15- to 17-year-olds. as the survey showed.

Only a small percentage of teenagers – about 27% – watch screens for two hours or less a day.

The researchers noted that the level of family income did not matter when it came to the time teenagers spend in front of the TV, phone and computer.

However, location did matter: urban children were more likely to spend more than four hours a day looking at screens compared to rural teenagers, with rates of 51.4% and 43.3% respectively.

The new report led Amanda NgCDC National Center for Health Statistics.

Her team noted that in previous studies, “high levels of screen time have been associated with adverse health outcomes, including bad sleeping habitsfatigue and symptoms of anxiety and depression.”

The findings were published on October 30 as an NCHS Brief Information.

More information

Read more about media and children guidelines at American Academy of Pediatrics.

SOURCE: NCHS Brief Information, October 30, 2024