Screen Time for Teenagers

Question: How much screen time is safe for a teenager?  

Answer: While we wish we had a simple answer for you, there isn’t an exact amount of screen time that is recommended for teens. Here’s why: 

Historically, the term “screen time” was developed to refer mainly to television watching. There are now many different ways people engage with screens, and you might have noticed that some online activities feel fun and restorative while others leave you with negative feelings.  

For example, spending 30 minutes on FaceTime with family, spending 30 minutes scrolling through Instagram, and spending 30 minutes watching sports highlights with a friend might feel very different for you even though you spent the same amount of time on each online activity. Because of this, considering the quality of screen time and types of activities rather than the quantity of time can be useful.   

The AAP removed their specific “screen time” guidelines in 2016 and replaced them with general guidelines to encourage mindful use of digital media in part for this reason. 

Another reason that we don’t have an exact amount of recommended screen time is that in research, screen time is often measured by people self-reporting how long they’re using a screen, rather than real-time tracking. Teens may overestimate the amount of time they spend on social media, which makes this a hard metric to rely on.   

Balancing device use with time away from technology is important for maintaining a healthy relationship with digital media. It is especially important to consider whether your digital media use is getting in the way of other important activities including sleep, exercise, schoolwork, and meaningful time with friends and family.  

Here are some tips and strategies to practice healthy digital media use: 

• Consider how and why you use social media 
  • If you find that specific screen activities are getting in the way of other things that are important to you and your well-being, you can try setting up time limits within social media applications to remind you when to move on to another activity.  
    • For example, if you find that you lose track of time while scrolling on TikTok, you can set up in-app reminders. TikTok allows you to set a TikTok “screen time” limit for yourself, set up reminders to take breaks while scrolling, and to set up sleep reminders around bedtime.  
  • Rather than choosing a general screen time limit for yourself, limiting time spent on a certain activity (such as playing a game or scrolling on a certain social media platform) can be useful.  
• Make sure the content you are viewing is what you enjoy seeing. Each social media platform has different settings that will allow you to take control of what you see in your feed. A recent portal response on social media control settings provides insight on the various platforms and how to curate your feed to align with your preferences. 
• Consider implementing designated screen-free times, such as during family meals, right before bed, or when spending time with friends.   
• Speak with your family about establishing a Family Media Plan. 

Resources 

The previous portal responses listed below also give further insight into the topic of screen time among youth: 

• Health Effects of Young Kids Being on Screens Too Long 
• Screen Time Guidelines  
• Impact of Limiting Time Spent on Social Media 

References 

• Verbeij, V., Pouwels, J.J, Beyens, I & Valkenburg, P (2021). The Accuracy and Validity of Self-Reported Social Media Use Measures Among Adolescents. Computers in Human Behavior Reports. 

Age: 13-17 

Topics: Screen time 

Role: Youth