US teens spending 1+ hours on smartphones during school day, study concludes

A recent report finds the average U.S. teen is using at least one hour of the school day on their cellphones – and it’s not for educational purposes.

“[U.S.] adolescents, on average, spent more than an hour using smartphones during school, with social media use accounting for most of that time,” concludes the report, published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Jan. 6.

“These objective findings from a large sample extend those of a prior smaller study based on self-report, which similarly demonstrated 1 hour of smartphone usage per school day.”

The analysis comes as a growing number of states are restricting or banning cellphone use altogether from schools.

In one example, California has set a July 1 deadline for all its districts to limit or prohibit smartphones throughout the school day.

“Ultimately, [the policy] embodies a cultural pivot, challenging the notion that connectivity equals progress,” writes Eric Hastings for WebProNews. “By fostering environments where learning takes precedence over likes, the state aims to nurture healthier, more engaged generations.” 

Most-used app categories

More than 600 teens ages 13 to 18 participated in the study, which listed the top five most-used app categories as “social media, video, games, communication, and entertainment.”

Social media involved platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, while video included YouTube and games featured Roblox, Clash Royale and Pokemon Go apps.

“Instead of surveying the teens, who might not accurately remember their phone habits, the researchers relied on an app installed on each participant’s phone to passively measure uses like social media and gaming apps, internet browsing, and video viewing,” a Mashable article noted.

“Since the researchers collected data between 2022 and 2024, they acknowledge that the findings may not reflect more recent phone-free school policies that resulted from increasing political and public momentum for bans and solutions like Yondr pouches. The participants all used Android devices, so the findings may not apply to those with Apple smartphones.”

The report also found smartphone use differed across demographics: “Black participants, compared with White participants, and participants from low-income households engaged with smartphones for 12 to 20 minutes more daily during school hours.”

While the study did not elaborate on the reasons for such differences, it noted one factor “might stem from differences in school environments, which could include class size and school resources,” according to Mashable.