BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

US teens spend nearly five hours a day on social media

  • Teen girls spend more time on social media each day than teen boys
  • YouTube is where teens spend the most time, followed by TikTok
  • Just 25% of parents "strongly agree" that they limit kids' screen time
FILE - The TikTok logo is displayed on a smartphone screen, Sept. 28, 2020, in Tokyo. A federal judge is scheduled to hear arguments Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, in a case filed by TikTok and five Montana content creators who want the court to block the state’s ban on the video sharing app before it takes effect Jan. 1. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

FILE – The TikTok logo is displayed on a smartphone screen, Sept. 28, 2020, in Tokyo. A federal judge is scheduled to hear arguments Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, in a case filed by TikTok and five Montana content creators who want the court to block the state’s ban on the video sharing app before it takes effect Jan. 1. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

Testing widget old system

Lorenzo shared

(NewsNation) — The average U.S. teen spends nearly five hours a day on social media with YouTube, TikTok and Instagram making up the majority of that time.

Those findings come from a new Gallup survey in which 51% of U.S. teenagers said they spent at least four hours a day using social media. That use works out to 4.8 hours a day for the average teen.

Teenage girls are on social media even longer, 5.3 hours a day, which is about an hour more than teen boys (4.4 hours).

There are also gender differences when it comes to which platforms teens use. TikTok was most popular for girls whereas boys spent more time on YouTube.

Overall, YouTube is where U.S. teens spend the most time each day (1.9 hours), followed by TikTok (1.5 hours) and Instagram (0.9 hours).

The survey also asked parents whether they limit their children’s screen time. Among those with kids aged 3 to 19, just 25% strongly agreed that they restrict screen time. Parents who identified as very conservative were about twice as likely to do so than very liberal parents, 41% versus 23%.

The new report comes amid a growing body of evidence that social media is harming children’s mental health, especially teen girls.

Just this week, New York State officials introduced a bill that would prohibit minors from accessing algorithm-based social media feeds like TikTok and Instagram unless they have permission from their parents.

Earlier this year, Utah became the first state to pass a law limiting teens’ access to social media.

Tech

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Cloudy

la

65°F Cloudy Feels like 65°
Wind
0 mph E
Humidity
77%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 61F. Winds light and variable.
61°F Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 61F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
6 mph W
Precip
8%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Gibbous