There’s no doubt that the Pandemic impacted everyone’s relationship with technology, and I know we have all been curious about how Covid changed how our kids interact with devices.
In March 2022, Common Sense Media (CSM) provided data on this topic when it released its latest nationally representative survey of eight to 18-year-olds about their time spent on screen-based media. The survey focused on time dedicated to screen-based entertainment rather than homework. They surveyed 1,306 youth in October 2021, when most kids had returned to in-person schooling.
I recently wrote a blog about the findings, but I added some more findings today and put it into quiz questions, answers, and discussion questions. The goal is to share this with kids in your home, students or kids on a sports team, or you name it.
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Learn more about our Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!
Our movie made for parents and educators of younger kids
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
1. 13 to 18-year-olds, who used social media at least once a week, were asked which of the following platforms they could “not live without”: Discord, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Reddit, Snapchat, TikTok, Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube. What do you think the majority of respondents picked?
Answer: YouTube (32% of respondents picked this one)
One mother I spoke with recently said how much her 10-year-old daughter loves YouTube, and the family rule is that she has to be in a shared space without headphones on when watching YouTube. Having this rule is just one of the many guardrails we can have in place while raising mindful tech users.
2. What was the second most cited app they said they could “not live without”?
Answer: Snapchat (20%)
According to Snap.com, over 75% of 13-34-year-olds in 20 countries use Snap. If you use Snapchat, do you have any idea how many Snaps you send a day?
3. The third most cited app they could not live without was tied between two apps. What were they?
Answer: Instagram (13%) and TikTok (13%)
Have you ever thought about taking one social media app off your phone for just one week to see how that feels and whether that helps decrease the total time you spend on screens that week?
You might want to read this Screenagers’ Tech Talk Tuesday blog post from several years ago: Would Your Kids Leave their Smartphone At Home During A Family Vacation?
4. How many 13 to 18-year-olds listen to podcasts at least once a week?
Answer: 14%
54% of 13 to 18-year-olds don’t listen to podcasts. Ask your kids whether they ever listen to podcasts? If so, which ones? Here is a link to my podcast show which has many episodes created for parents and kids to listen to together — maybe on a road trip this summer.
5. What percentage of young people do you think use their devices to create art or music on a given day?
Answer: About one in 10 tweens and teens use their digital devices to create a form of art or music (11% of tweens and 13% of teens) on a given day. This is not a significant change from 2019.
Ask your kids whether there is anything they want to create using their digital device(s) this summer? A short movie? A song?
I would love to receive any creations from youth in your life — things like podcast-type recordings, little videos, illustrations, etc. It would be fun to share some of these in a Tech Talk Tuesday this summer, with their and your permission, of course.
Here’s a Screeanagers’ Tech Talk Tuesday blog I wrote about helping kids become creators instead of consumers.
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Learn more about our Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!
Our movie made for parents and educators of younger kids
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
6. What percentage of 8-year-olds own a smartphone?
Answer: 31%
In 2015, this number was 11%.
Of course, we don’t know what these young kids have access to. We hear the word “smartphone,” and we immediately think it has everything, i.e., social media, tons of video games, etc. The truth is, many parents work hard to ensure, the best they can, that only age-appropriate apps are on their children’s phones.
Do you know about the campaign Wait Until 8th?
7. Between 2019 and 2021, do you think general entertainment screen time (includes video games, social media, YouTube, etc.) averages per day increased, decreased, or stayed the same for tweens?
Answer: For tweens and teens overall, it has gone up by 17% from 2019 to 2021. But, specifically, the average increased from 4 hours and 44 minutes per day to 5 hours and 33 minutes per day for tweens.
Please look at my blog entitled, How has Covid Impacted Youth Screen Time to understand these numbers? Part 1
8, Do you think the averages per day increased, decreased, or stayed the same for teens?
Answer: For teens, this number increased even more, from 7 hours and 22 minutes per day to 8 hours and 39 minutes per day.
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There’s no doubt that the Pandemic impacted everyone’s relationship with technology, and I know we have all been curious about how Covid changed how our kids interact with devices.
In March 2022, Common Sense Media (CSM) provided data on this topic when it released its latest nationally representative survey of eight to 18-year-olds about their time spent on screen-based media. The survey focused on time dedicated to screen-based entertainment rather than homework. They surveyed 1,306 youth in October 2021, when most kids had returned to in-person schooling.
I recently wrote a blog about the findings, but I added some more findings today and put it into quiz questions, answers, and discussion questions. The goal is to share this with kids in your home, students or kids on a sports team, or you name it.
1. 13 to 18-year-olds, who used social media at least once a week, were asked which of the following platforms they could “not live without”: Discord, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Reddit, Snapchat, TikTok, Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube. What do you think the majority of respondents picked?
Answer: YouTube (32% of respondents picked this one)
One mother I spoke with recently said how much her 10-year-old daughter loves YouTube, and the family rule is that she has to be in a shared space without headphones on when watching YouTube. Having this rule is just one of the many guardrails we can have in place while raising mindful tech users.
2. What was the second most cited app they said they could “not live without”?
Answer: Snapchat (20%)
According to Snap.com, over 75% of 13-34-year-olds in 20 countries use Snap. If you use Snapchat, do you have any idea how many Snaps you send a day?
3. The third most cited app they could not live without was tied between two apps. What were they?
Answer: Instagram (13%) and TikTok (13%)
Have you ever thought about taking one social media app off your phone for just one week to see how that feels and whether that helps decrease the total time you spend on screens that week?
You might want to read this Screenagers’ Tech Talk Tuesday blog post from several years ago: Would Your Kids Leave their Smartphone At Home During A Family Vacation?
4. How many 13 to 18-year-olds listen to podcasts at least once a week?
Answer: 14%
54% of 13 to 18-year-olds don’t listen to podcasts. Ask your kids whether they ever listen to podcasts? If so, which ones? Here is a link to my podcast show which has many episodes created for parents and kids to listen to together — maybe on a road trip this summer.
5. What percentage of young people do you think use their devices to create art or music on a given day?
Answer: About one in 10 tweens and teens use their digital devices to create a form of art or music (11% of tweens and 13% of teens) on a given day. This is not a significant change from 2019.
Ask your kids whether there is anything they want to create using their digital device(s) this summer? A short movie? A song?
I would love to receive any creations from youth in your life — things like podcast-type recordings, little videos, illustrations, etc. It would be fun to share some of these in a Tech Talk Tuesday this summer, with their and your permission, of course.
Here’s a Screeanagers’ Tech Talk Tuesday blog I wrote about helping kids become creators instead of consumers.
6. What percentage of 8-year-olds own a smartphone?
Answer: 31%
In 2015, this number was 11%.
Of course, we don’t know what these young kids have access to. We hear the word “smartphone,” and we immediately think it has everything, i.e., social media, tons of video games, etc. The truth is, many parents work hard to ensure, the best they can, that only age-appropriate apps are on their children’s phones.
Do you know about the campaign Wait Until 8th?
7. Between 2019 and 2021, do you think general entertainment screen time (includes video games, social media, YouTube, etc.) averages per day increased, decreased, or stayed the same for tweens?
Answer: For tweens and teens overall, it has gone up by 17% from 2019 to 2021. But, specifically, the average increased from 4 hours and 44 minutes per day to 5 hours and 33 minutes per day for tweens.
Please look at my blog entitled, How has Covid Impacted Youth Screen Time to understand these numbers? Part 1
8, Do you think the averages per day increased, decreased, or stayed the same for teens?
Answer: For teens, this number increased even more, from 7 hours and 22 minutes per day to 8 hours and 39 minutes per day.
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There’s no doubt that the Pandemic impacted everyone’s relationship with technology, and I know we have all been curious about how Covid changed how our kids interact with devices.
In March 2022, Common Sense Media (CSM) provided data on this topic when it released its latest nationally representative survey of eight to 18-year-olds about their time spent on screen-based media. The survey focused on time dedicated to screen-based entertainment rather than homework. They surveyed 1,306 youth in October 2021, when most kids had returned to in-person schooling.
I recently wrote a blog about the findings, but I added some more findings today and put it into quiz questions, answers, and discussion questions. The goal is to share this with kids in your home, students or kids on a sports team, or you name it.
It feels like we’re finally hitting a tipping point. The harms from social media in young people’s lives have been building for far too long, and bold solutions can’t wait any longer. That’s why what just happened in Australia is extremely exciting. Their new nationwide move marks one of the biggest attempts yet to protect kids online. And as we released a new podcast episode yesterday featuring a mother who lost her 14-year-old son after a tragic connection made through social media, I couldn’t help but think: this is exactly the kind of real-world action families have been desperate for. In today’s blog, I share five key things to understand about what Australia is doing because it’s big, it’s controversial, and it might just spark global change.
READ MORE >
I hear from so many parents who feel conflicted about their own phone habits when it comes to modeling healthy use for their kids. They’ll say, “I tell my kids to get off their screens, but then I’m on mine all the time.” Today I introduce two moms who are taking on my One Small Change Challenge and share how you can try it too.
READ MORE >
This week’s blog explores how influencers and social media promoting so-called “Healthy” ideals — from food rules to fitness fads — can quietly lead young people toward disordered eating. Featuring insights from Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani, a leading expert on eating disorders, we unpack how to spot harmful messages and start honest conversations with kids about wellness, body image, and what “healthy” really means.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
