Study: 44% of US teens say not having their smartphone makes them feel anxious

It can be difficult for people of all ages to spend time apart from their phones. But while a majority of US teens feel happy when they don’t have their smartphone, more than four in ten say that this makes them feel anxious.

As such, young people seem to have a somewhat toxic relationship with their phones. A Pew Research study entitled “How Teens and Parents Approach Screen Time”,* conducted among American teenagers aged 13 to 17 and their parents, shows the extent to which young people have mixed feelings about their smartphone and their well-being.

While 72% say they feel peaceful and 74% report feeling happy when they don’t have their smartphone, 44% admit to feeling anxious when separated from their device. Forty percent say they feel upset and 39% feel lonely.

Girls are more likely than boys to feel anxious when they don’t have their phone. In fact, 45% of girls say they feel lonely regularly when they don’t have their phone, compared with 34% of boys.

Despite this, teenagers are well aware that they spend too much time on their smartphones (38%) and that they use social media excessively (27%). Only a tiny proportion who feel they spend too little time on them (5% and 8% respectively).

More girls than boys admit to spending too much time on their smartphones (44% vs. 33%), as well as on social media (32% vs. 22%). Yet the majority feel they spend the right amount of time on their smartphone (51%), and even more on social media (64%).

The study also reveals that young people are aware of the negative effects of phones on their social lives. Although 69% of teenagers say that smartphones make it easier for them to pursue their hobbies and interests, only 30% think that they help them acquire good social skills.

Cutting back on screen time

To avoid these excesses, teenagers have decided to reduce their screen time. Almost four in ten teens (39%) say they have cut back on their time on social media, or on time using their phones (36%).

The trend remains minimal, since the vast majority have not changed their habits, either in terms of time spent on their smartphone (63%) or on social media (60%).

Here again, girls are ahead of boys in reducing their use the most. Around four in ten girls have reduced the time spent on their smartphone and social networks, compared with around a third of boys.

A logical situation, according to the researchers of the Pew Research study, who state that: “Teens who report spending too much time on social media and smartphones are especially likely to report cutting back on each. For instance, roughly six-in-ten teens who say they are on social media too much say they have cut back (57%). This is far higher than the 32% among those who say they are on social media too little or the right amount.”

For adults too, screen time can be a problem, especially in the evening before bedtime. According to a US News survey on sleep quality,** 44% of American adults say that screen time in bed is one of their worst sleep habits.

Yet 29% use screens while falling asleep, according to US News’ Sleep Quality Survey. Nineteen percent of American adults say they stop using screen devices more than 30 minutes before going to sleep, while 20% of US adults say they stop using these devices 20 to 30 minutes before bedtime. – AFP Relaxnews

*Study conducted among 1,453 teenagers aged 13 to 17 and their parents in the United States between September 26 and October 23, 2023.

**Survey of 1,200 Americans over 18 in September 2023.