TRENTON, NJ – A recent Gallup survey found that a majority of U.S. teens, including those in New Jersey, 51%, are spending four hours or more on social media platforms daily. The survey analyzed the social media habits of more than 1,500 adolescents, revealing an average of 4.8 hours spent per day across seven major platforms.
The study, part of the Familial and Adolescent Health Survey, showed variances in usage by age, with 17-year-olds averaging 5.8 hours daily, while 13-year-olds spent around 4.1 hours. Girls logged in nearly an hour more than boys, with 5.3 hours compared to 4.4 hours.
The survey, conducted from June 26 to July 17, 2023, also included responses from 6,643 parents, focusing on aspects such as youth mental health, parenting practices, and the quality of family relationships. Concerns are escalating among scholars about the potential habit-forming nature of social media and its implications for mental health.
YouTube and TikTok emerged as the most frequented platforms among teens, with daily use averaging 1.9 and 1.5 hours, respectively. Instagram followed with 0.9 hours of use per day. The survey highlighted that boys favored YouTube, while girls spent more time on TikTok.
Personality traits and parenting played significant roles in the level of engagement teens had with social media. Those in the bottom quartile for conscientiousness spent about 1.2 hours more than their counterparts in the top quartile. Other personality traits showed a negative correlation with usage, though less pronounced than conscientiousness.
Parental influence was evident, with teens reporting 1.8 hours less on social media when parents imposed strict screen time limitations. One in four parents strongly endorsed screen time restrictions, a stance that cut across educational backgrounds but varied significantly with political ideology. Very conservative parents were the most likely to enforce restrictions, with 41% in agreement, contrasting with 23% among moderate to very liberal parents.
The findings present a complex picture of social media’s role in the lives of U.S. adolescents and the interplay of individual traits and family dynamics in digital consumption patterns.