Teens Say They Spend Too Much Time on Social Media

Some 27% of US teens ages 13-17 say they spend to much time on social media, though the majority (64%) are comfortable with the amount of time they spend, saying it’s about the right amount. That’s according to survey results from the Pew Research Center, which found girls more concerned than boys about their social media time.

Indeed, almost one-third (32%) of girls surveyed said they spend too much time on social media, compared to 22% of boys.

The same pattern is apparent for smartphone use: while 38% of teens report spending too much time on their smartphones, that figure is more pronounced among girls (44%) than boys (33%).

Some 97% of teens girls have access to a smartphone, as do 94% of teen boys, according to previously-released research from Pew. Almost half (46%) say they’re online almost constantly, and more than 1 in 5 teen girls say they’re almost always on TikTok.

As a result, some have pulled back on their device and social media time. More than one-third (36%) of teens have cut back on smartphone time, with this again higher among girls (41%) than boys (32%). Additionally, roughly 4 in 10 (39%) have reduced their social media time, including 44% of girls.

Interestingly, while young people have traditionally felt wedded to their phones, this survey reveals that three-quarters (74%) feel happy either often (32%) or sometimes (42%) when they don’t have their smartphone with them. Furthermore, more than 7 in 10 feel peaceful either often (25%) or sometimes (47%) when without their phone.

Teens are considerably less likely to say they feel anxious (44%), upset (40%), or lonely (39%) when they don’t have their smartphone with them.

Overall, 7 in 10 say that when it comes to people their age using a smartphone, there are generally more benefits than harms, as opposed to 3 in 10 who feel that there are more harms than benefits. The main advantages that smartphones afford are to pursue hobbies and interests (69% saying it makes this easier) and to be creative (65%).

For more, check out the full survey results here.