Smartphones and electronic devices have become a huge part of our daily lives. Remote learning, online classes, social media, and streaming platforms have played a significant role in increasing teenager’s day-to-day screen time. Today, the global average screen time for teens is 7 hours and 22 minutes per day and teens spend more than 3 hours watching television/videos alone. In this article, we are going to take a look at the average screen time for teens in 2024 based on Activity, Gender, Race/Ethnicity, and more.
Top Average Screen Time Statistics for Teens
- A Teen spends about 7 hours and 22 minutes on average in front of their screens every day.
- 47% of parents allow their children to have more than 3 hours of screen time on average every day.
- Watching television and video is the leading activity where teens spend the majority of their screen time daily.
- TikTok is the most popular social media platform globally among teenagers where teen boys and girls spend 1 hour 47 minutes daily.
- Teenagers spend around 51 minutes on an average daily Browsing content on different websites.
- Teen boys spend more screen time per day compared to teen girls.
- Teen boys between the ages of 13 to 18 spend 9 hours and 16 minutes on their screens daily.
- Teen girls between 13 to 18 spend 8 hours and 2 minutes on their screens daily.
Average Screen Time For Teens Per Day
On Average, a teen spends around 7 hours and 22 minutes in front of their screen every day. Which equates to 43% of a teenager’s waking hours. Apparently, the global average screen time is 6 hours and 58 minutes, therefore teens are spending an extra 24 minutes in front of their screen on average when compared.
A survey also revealed that about 47% of parents allow their kids to have over 3 hours of screen time on a daily basis. Meanwhile, about 85% of the parents only allow screen time of 1 hour per day.
Average Screen Time For Teens Over Time
The Average screen time for teens has witnessed a significant rise over the years. Back in 2015, the average screen time of an American teen between the ages of 13 to 18 was 6 hours and 40 minutes per day. Within four years, the average screen time went to 7 hours and 22 minutes in 2019, and in 2021 the average screen time reached 8 hours and 39 minutes. This indicates the average screen time spent by a teen in the US has increased by 1 hour and 59 minutes from 2015.
Below we have mentioned a table showcasing the rise in the average screen time of American Tweens which is 8 to 12-year-olds:
| Age Group | 2015 | 2019 | 2021 |
| Teens (13 to 18) | 6 hrs 40 mins | 7 hrs 22 mins | 8 hrs 39 mins |
| Tweens (8 to 12) | 4 hrs 36 mins | 4 hrs 44 mins | 5 hrs 33 mins |
Average Screen Time for Teens Based on Gender
Teenage Boys tend to spend a higher amount of time looking at their screen compared to teenage girls regardless of the age group according to reports. Apparently, teen boys between the ages of 13 to 18 spend about 9 hours 16 minutes looking at their screen which is 74 minutes more than the average of teen girls which is 8 hours 2 minutes.
| Age Group | Teen Girls | Teen Boys |
| 8 to 12 years old | 4 hours 55 minutes | 6 hours 11 minutes |
| 13 to 18 years old | 8 hours 2 minutes | 9 hours 16 minutes |
Regardless of the age group, teen boys are more likely to spend more screen time on a daily basis. There is a difference of 76 minutes between the average screen time of teen boys and girls in the 8 to 12-year age group.
Average Screen Time for Teens based on Race/Ethnicity
According to research, Race or Ethnicity also plays a significant role when it comes to the average screen time among teens. Apparently, Hispanic/Latino teens spend the highest time looking at their screen compared to white and black teens with an average of 10 hours and 2 minutes. Black teens spend an average of 9 hours and 50 minutes having 12 minutes difference with Hispanic/Latino teens. Meanwhile, white teens have the lowest average screen time of 7 hours 49 minutes compared to other races.
| Race/Ethnicity | Average Screen Time Spend |
| White | 7 hours 49 minutes |
| Black | 9 hours 50 minutes |
| Hispanic/Latino | 10 hours 2 minutes |
Average Screen Time for Teens Based on Activity
Teens are spending the majority of their time 3 hours and 16 minutes watching television through broadcast, cable, or subscription devices. Followed by Gaming as the second most popular activity where teenagers spend 1 hour 46 minutes on average. Below we have mentioned a table showcasing the top activities where teens spent the majority of their screen time.
| Activities | Average Time Spent by Teens |
| Television/videos | 3 hours 16 minutes |
| Gaming | 1 hour 46 minutes |
| Social media platforms | 1 hour 27 minutes |
| Browsing content on different websites | 51 minutes |
| Other screen activities | 29 minutes |
| Video-chatting | 20 minutes |
| E-reading | 15 minutes |
| Content creation | 14 minutes |
Today, Teens are spending over 3 hours watching television and other video content on a daily basis which can be pretty harmful for young children as it can affect their sleeping schedule, cause emotional comprehension, and cause social and emotional competence. The maximum screen time recommended to teenagers or young children is 2 hours whereas the global average screen time right now is 3 hours and 16 minutes.
Teens spend more than an hour using social media platforms per day
Teenagers between the ages of 13 to 18 years old state social media as one of their favorite activities where they spend more than an hour on a daily basis. TikTok is currently one of the most popular social media platforms that takes about 1 hour and 47 minutes of average screen time per day. Followed by Snapchat which takes 1 hour 12 minutes every day. Below we have mentioned a table showcasing the top social media platforms where teens spend the majority of their screen time:
| Social Media Platform | Average Daily Use (Global) |
| TikTok | 1 hour 47 minutes |
| Snapchat | 1 hour 12 minutes |
| 45 minutes | |
| 20 minutes | |
| 16 minutes | |
| 10 minutes |
38% of Tweens (8 to 12 years old) are using social media
Social media is another popular activity where tweens are spending a significant amount of time. Around 38% of tweens have stated they have utilized social media and about 1 in every 5 tweens claims that they utilize social media every day. The leading social media platforms accessed by Tweens are Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Discord, and Pinterest.
Wrapping Up
The Average screen time for teens has been witnessing a significant rise over time and is expected to reach higher numbers in the future due to the impact technology has in today’s world. With the rise in social media, streaming devices, remote learning, gaming, and other activities teens are more likely to get more inclined towards these platforms resulting in a rise in the average screen time duration which can be quite concerning as the current statistics display the average screen time of a teen is 7 hours and 22 minutes. Therefore, it’s important that parents take crucial steps regarding the amount of time spent by their children in front of the screen.
