Parents need to beware.
A recent survey reveals that approximately 50% of American adolescents aged 12 to 17 spend a minimum of four hours daily engaged with smartphones, computers, or televisions. Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention observed that as technology has increasingly become part of teenagers’ daily lives, their screen time has correspondingly risen.
The implications of this extensive screen usage on mental health are concerning. The survey indicated that around 27% of teens with four or more hours of daily screen time reported experiencing anxiety in the past two weeks, compared to just 12.3% of those who spent less time in front of screens. Similarly, self-reported instances of depression were notably higher among those with more screen exposure, with 26% of heavy users indicating depressive symptoms, versus 9.5% of those with lower screen time.
This data stems from responses collected in a federal survey administered to U.S. teens between mid-2021 and late 2023. The results showed minimal variation in screen time based on gender, with 48% of boys and 52.5% of girls reporting four or more hours of screen use daily. However, the prevalence of high screen time did increase with age, with 45.6% of younger teens (ages 12 to 14) and 55% of older teens (ages 15 to 17) engaging in extended screen activities.
Only about 27% of surveyed teens reported spending two or fewer hours a day on screens. Additionally, family income did not significantly influence the amount of time teenagers devoted to screen use. However, geographic location played a role: urban teens were more likely to spend over four hours daily on screens compared to their rural counterparts, with rates of 51.4% and 43.3%, respectively.
Amanda Ng, leading the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics study, pointed out that previous research has linked high levels of screen time with various negative health outcomes, including disrupted sleep, fatigue, and symptoms of anxiety and depression.
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