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Half of American teenagers spend more than 4 hours a day in front of screens, according to a CDC study

Posted on by Josh L
Half of American teenagers spend more than 4 hours a day in front of screens, according to a CDC study

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LOS ANGELES – New poll from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that about 50% of American teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 spend at least four hours in front of screens – on smartphones, computers or televisions. The data comes from responses to a federal survey conducted between mid-2021 and the end of 2023.

As the amount of time teenagers spend in front of a screen increases, researchers are finding a link between long-term screen use and mental health problems. A CDC study found that nearly 27 percent of teens who reported four or more hours of daily screen time also reported feeling anxious in the past two weeks. By comparison, only 12.3% of teenagers who watched less screen time experienced similar symptoms.

More time in front of the screen is associated with increased depression

Self-reported depression was also significantly higher among teens who spent a lot of screen time. About 26% of teens who spent four or more hours a day in front of a screen reported symptoms of depression, compared to 9.5% of those who spent less time in front of a screen.

In this photo illustration, a teenage child looks at a mobile phone screen. ((Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images))

Patterns of screen time by age, gender and location

Screen time use was similar across genders, with approximately 48% of boys and 52.5% of girls spending four or more hours in front of screens each day. Age played a more prominent role, with 45.6% of younger teens (12-14 years old) spending a lot of time in front of a screen, compared to 55% of older teens (15-17 years old).

Urban teens also showed more screen time, with 51.4% of urban teens spending more than four hours a day on screen, compared to 43.3% of rural teens.

A preliminary study of screen time and mental health

Amanda Ng, lead author of the report from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, said previous studies have linked excessive screen time to negative health outcomes, including poor sleep, fatigue and increased symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Source

This article is based on data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics and was published in the NCHS Data Brief.