Common Sense: 2021 U.S. Youth Media Usage Report

Media use among U.S. teens aged 8-18 has increased faster since the pandemic began than before, according to a new report from Common Sense.

Media usage and time

According to the report, American teenagers spent an average of 8 hours and 39 minutes a day looking at screens in 2021, an increase of 1 hour and 17 minutes (17%) compared to 2019. In contrast, teenagers' screen time only increased by 42 minutes from 2015 to 2019.

TV/Video

92% of teens watch TV or videos every day, with the most common daily activity being watching online videos (77%), followed by watching TV (49%).

The average time spent watching TV or videos increased by 23 minutes from 2019 (2:53) to 2021 (3:16).

game

59% of teens play video games, up slightly from 2019 (56%). Teen gamers spend about 3 hours (3:01) a day playing video games.

American teens spend the majority of their gaming time on console/portable gaming devices (35%).

Social Media

According to the findings, approximately 62% of American teens will use social media daily in 2021, which is the same as in 2019 (63%).

Other Activities

In 2021, 6 in 10 teens browse the internet every day, compared to less than half that number in 2019 (47%). In fact, the average teen spends nearly an hour (51 minutes) per day browsing the internet, up from 37 minutes per day.

Media enjoyment

Teens’ patterns of media enjoyment are similar to their patterns of media use, with one notable difference: watching TV. Although about half (49%) of respondents watch TV every day, only 27% of teens “very much” do so.

Teens' favorite social and video sites

Of the 10 social and video platforms listed, YouTube retains its top spot in terms of usage (24%). Slightly ahead of TikTok (22%) and Snapchat (21%). Next up is Instagram (15%), followed by Discord (8%). A recent Forrester study shows that in the US, more Gen Z now use TikTok on a weekly basis than Snapchat and Instagram.

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