Children and youth

Survey: Nearly 75% of Teens Report Feeling Happy, Peaceful Without Phones

MAR 12 2024·Updated MAR 20 2024

Story

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The Facts

A Pew Research Center survey released Monday found that 74% of American teenagers say they "often" or "sometimes" feel happy when away from their phones, with another 72% saying the same for feeling peaceful.
Cleveland.com
Another 44% of teens said their smartphones make them feel anxious, while 69% said they help them pursue hobbies and interests and 30% said they help people their age learn social skills.
Pew Research Center
Among American teenagers — 95% of whom reportedly own smartphones — 38% say they spend "too much" time on their device, 51% "about the right amount," and 5% "too little" time. 27% also say they use social media too often.
Pew Research Center
In the survey, 44% of girls said they spend too much time on their phones, compared to a third of boys. Despite this, only 36% and 39% of teens say they've made efforts to cut back on phone screen time and social media respectively.
Pew Research Center
As for parents, 47% say they limit their teen's phone access, compared to 48% who don't. Another 38% of both parents and teens say they argue over screen time. While 64% of parents of 13- to 14-year-olds say they look through their child's phone, 41% of parents of 15-17-year-olds said the same.
Daily News
This research follows a lawsuit by more than 40 US states against Meta, arguing that the tech firm is harming children's mental health. US states, such as Texas and Florida, as well as the UK, EU, and Canada, have passed laws aimed at limiting children's exposure to harmful content.
Al Jazeera

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

Screen time has led children to feel isolated, endure cyberbullying, and view content that either portrays unattainable success or far more sinister themes of a sexual or violent nature. This, coupled with the fact that phones strip children of the necessary coping skills to survive into adulthood, has tragically led to an increase in mental health issues and suicide. Minors should be free of phones until their late teens, at which point they'll have developed enough to engage with these devices healthily and responsibly.

EL PAÍS English

Narrative B

Rather than restricting children's access to smartphones and social media, thereby undermining their agency and obstructing opportunities to socialize and learn online, more must be done to regulate big tech companies currently benefiting from dangerous and damaging algorithms. Big Tech is not doing enough to protect users of all ages from illegal activity and inappropriate content — with firmer legislation and proper education, children could benefit from freer use of smartphones.

Sky News