How well do you know young people’s media habits?

Take Jonathan’s Quick 8-Question
TWEENS, TEENS & SCREENS QUIZ

How many hours a day does the average teen (13- to 18-year-olds) spend soaking in entertainment screen time?

Are tweens (8- to 12-year-olds) any different?

What entertainment activity do they enjoy the most?

Let’s test your knowledge!

After all, the newest numbers have just been tallied by Common Sense Media’s brand-new report tracking media use by tweens and teens…and this is the biggest and most widely cited report of its kind. For the last four years we’ve heard people talk about countless hours of entertainment media young people spend soaking in entertainment media. You may have heard people say, “Studies show that teenagers average 9 hours of entertainment media per day…” That “study” everyone referred to was Common Sense Media’s 2015 study, a respected survey revealing teenagers back in 2015 spent 8 hours and 56 minutes per day soaking in entertainment media, 6 hours and 40 minutes of that screen time (because activities like listening to music and entertainment reading don’t require screens).

Well the new 2019 numbers are in. So, let’s take a quick pop quiz and see how well you know young people’s media habits. Feel free to try this quiz around the family table or your leadership team. (and then scroll waaaaaaaay down for answers)

TWEENS, TEENS & SCREENS QUIZ
According to the brand new 2019 Common Sense Census

1. How many hours per day do teenagers average soaking in all entertainment media?

A. Only about 8 hours (an hour less than the 2015 report)

B. About the same amount as the 2015 report (8 hours 55 minutes)

C. About an hour more than the last report (almost 10 hours)

D. About two hours more than the last report (almost 11 hours)

E. Most young people have unplugged and moved to Amish Pennsylvania

 

2. How many hours of this is just screen time?

A. Under 6 hours (an hour less than the 2015 report)

B. About the same amount as the 2015 report (6 hours 40 minutes)

C. Over 7 hours

D. Over 8 hours

E. 47 hours per day

 

3. What was the biggest change in young people’s media habits since the last report?

A. Young people are clocking in way more social media

B. Online video viewing is through the roof

C. Young people watch way more TV on big screens

D. The majority of young people are surprisingly starting to listen to 8-track tapes

 

4. What is the difference in screen media use by household income?

A. Kids from higher income homes use way more screen media

B. Kids from higher income homes use way less screen media

C. It’s the same

D. Kids from different incomes are all put into an arena to battle each other to the death

 

5. At what age do the majority of kids have their own smartphone?

A. 9

B. 11

C. 13

D. 15

E. 86

 

6. How much social media time are kids using each day?

A. 1 hours and 11 minutes a day, almost exactly the same as the last report.

B. 2 hours and 23 minutes a day, over an hour more than the last report

C. Over 3 hours

D. Kids have remarkably deleted all social media except for MySpace

 

7. Guys (8- to 18-years-old) enjoy which media activity the most?

A. Music

B. Video Games

C. Online Videos

D. Social Media

E. Phonographs

 

8. Girls (8- to 18-years-old) enjoy which media activity the most?

A. Music

B. Video Games

C. Online Videos

D. Social Media

E. Barometers

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Okay…. Let’s peek at the answers:

TWEENS, TEENS & SCREENS ANSWER KEY
According to the brand new 2019 Common Sense Census

1. How many hours per day do teenagers average soaking in all entertainment media?

The correct answer is C, almost 10 hours, which is about an hour more than the 2015 report.

In 2015 teenagers spent 8 hours and 56 minutes when you add up all the TV, Music, Social Media, Gaming, etc. But now, they average 9 hours and 49 minutes when you add up everything.

Tweens actually showed no increase. Last time tweens spent 5 hours 55 minutes, and this time they showed 5 hours 54 minutes.

But how much of this was screen time? That was the next quiz question.

2. How many hours of this is screen time?

The correct answer is C, over 7 hours a day. Teenagers averaged 7 hours and 22 minutes of screen time in the current 2019 report, compared to 6 hours and 40 minutes in the 2015 report.

These screen averages are astonishing, especially when you consider that countless mental health advocates recommend only a few hours a day of screen time. In fact, Dr. Jean Twenge cites four large studies revealing “happiness and mental health are highest at a half-hour to two hours of extracurricular digital media use a day.”

3. What was the biggest change in young people’s media habits since the last report?

The correct answer is B, online video viewing is, and I quote, “through the roof.” In fact, more than twice as many young people watch videos every day than did in 2015, mostly YouTube, including tweens. And if you’re curious what they’re watching (and who they’re emulating) on YouTube…check out our last Youth Culture Window all about the “online celebs” our kids watch.

4. What is the difference in screen media use by household income?

The correct answer is B, kids from higher income homes actually use an hour and 50 minutes less screen media per day than those from lower-income households.

5. At what age do the majority of kids have their own smartphone?

The correct answer is B, age 11. By age eleven, 53% of kids have their own smartphone and by twelve 69% do. 

6. How much social media time are kids using each day?

The correct answer is A, 1 hours and 11 minutes a day, which is only one minute more than the last report in 2015. Although these numbers vary greatly among races. Hispanics/Latinos currently devote an average of 2 hours and 23 minutes a day, Blacks 2 hours and 15 minutes per day among users.

7. Guys (8- to 18-years-old) enjoy which media activity the most?

The correct answer is B. Guy’s say their favorite media activity is video games, then online videos, then music.

8. Girls (8- to 18-years-old) enjoy which media activity the most?

The correct answer is A. Girls say their favorite media activity is music, then online videos, then social media.

Although media activities also vary a little bit by age. For example, tweens spend the most time watching TV/videos (2 hours and 30 minutes daily) and then gaming (1 hour 28 minutes) and then listening to music (43 minutes). Teens also spend the most time watching TV/videos (2 hours and 52 minutes), but then prefer music (2 hours and 5 minutes) and then gaming (1 hour 36 minutes).

For more insight into this report and some tips how families can manage their media uptake, check out our brand new Youth Culture Window article on the subject.

ARE YOU HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR KIDS ABOUT THEIR SCREENS? HERE’S THE PERFECT RESOURCE TO SPRINGBOARD THOSE CONVERSATIONS!