Gen Z certainly spends more than 9 hours a day on screens in the U.S. This is especially obvious for most parents, teachers, managers, mentors, tutors and coaches.
I am not claiming that the statistics were gathered incorrectly, although I do doubt it counts screen usage at work and school, and time spent playing video games. To truly understand how much time is being spent by these device, the term “screen enabled” meaning including time spent listening to music, podcasts, “background” YouTube videos, is much more encompassing and enlightening.
I would also like to point out that massive amount of time is spent dual-screening, or tri-screening. It is not uncommon to see someone watching short form content, while watching a show or YouTube video, while eating. Anyone with significant time spent around college students has seen a textbook and notetaking app, with TV on, and music, all while responding to people on their phone.
These General Grievous type screen users are multi-screening at levels that would’ve been unfathomable 20 years ago. This makes 9 hours seem polite and very one dimensional, based on the fact that in reality it is much more.
The screen-enabled activity is important too, hours are spent daily listening to things in the background, bringing us out of the moment, putting them in another place or time. Time on a call does not count as screen-time, yet it is another thing that we may convince ourselves is productive and natural.
I predict a wave of case studies, showing excessive hours per day on phones, computers, gaming platforms. I would venture to guess the average high school student spends more time with an AirPod in then out. These things seem arbitrary or unimportant, but anyone who has tried to disconnect from this way of life knows how difficult it can be to lose their precious AirPod insights.
I encourage anyone to try to go a week with no headphones, many have forgotten what it sounds like inside of a gym, or the sounds of your kitchen while you cook.
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