Teens spend quite some time on their phones

According to Common Sense Media, Teens spend an average of 9 hours a day online. There are some teens who feel that they spend too much time on their devices and that it is an actual problem among teens.  

Senabou Kone ’22 spends four hours on her phone a day and feels that it is a problem. “I feel its a problem because you’re only supposed to spend one to two hours on your phone a day but I spend more than that.” Kone states.

“I’m usually on Youtube or Instagram if I’m on my phone,” Kone said.

According to Los Angeles Times, “A seminar on video games at UC Irvine, Constance Steinkuehler, a professor of informatics at the school and president of the Higher Education Video Game Alliance, emphasized that most researchers embrace the idea that “play is good.”

Derek Larsen ‘22 spends only two hours on his phone. “When I’m on my phone I’m usually playing Clash of Clans” However, he doesn’t spend that much time on his phone. He spends a 3 hours or more on his game console playing a very popular game among teens these days: Fortnite.

“You don’t even wanna know how much time I spend on video games. I don’t even think I

know.” Larsen Says, “We’re in school for eight hours, I get home and do my homework and then I play video games and on weekends I spend like my entire day playing video games.”

Although most teens have a phone nowadays, there are still teens without one.

Ella Rosenthal ‘21, doesn’t have one. “Some of it is a money thing, Smartphones are expensive and my parents would rather buy things that actually matter or are more important than that,” Rosenthal said. But Rosenthal says “There are a couple of reasons I would want a phone. Not having a phone is a safety hazard and it also makes it harder to work on projects in school” Rosenthal Said “From my point of view people who have phones have it easier because everything has become built around phones. Like, everything is digital. I mean, Of course they still have problems like unknown numbers and stuff but they have it easier.” Rosenthal says.

“Not having a phone really hinders your high school life. No social media which means no contact with certain people. I’m really scared for when my friends graduate because If I don’t get their numbers for like when I finally get a phone,” Rosenthal said.

According to Jenny Anderson, A pew research reporter says there is some reassuring news in the study: “Many teens are trying to cut back on their own, With 52% saying they have tried to reduce mobile phone use, and 57% saying they have tried to limit their use of Social Media.”