There’s a lot of ballyhoo in the media about whether young people are spending too much time on their phones: it’s the parental fret-fest of our generation. A new study by Pew Research suggests that teenagers have similar concerns.
“Roughly half of those ages 13 to 17 are themselves worried they spend too much time on their cellphones,” it explained.
“Some 52% of U.S. teens report taking steps to cut back on their mobile phone use, and similar shares have tried to limit their use of social media (57%) or video games (58%)… Fully 72% of teens say they often or sometimes check for messages or notifications as soon as they wake up, while roughly four-in-ten say they feel anxious when they do not have their cellphone with them. Overall, 56% of teens associate the absence of their cellphone with at least one of these three emotions: loneliness, being upset or feeling anxious.”
It’s quite a bleak picture, although the study is also good on how parents don’t necessarily have the moral high-ground in this particular issue.
“36% say they themselves spend too much time on their cellphone. And 51% of teens say they often or sometimes find their parent or caregiver to be distracted by their own cellphone when they are trying to have a conversation with them.”
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