A recent study by the Pew Research Center found that 75% of American teenagers report feeling content or calm when they are separated from their phones.

According to a recent survey conducted by Pew, it was also revealed that although many teenagers view disconnecting from their phone positively, the majority of them have not actually reduced their phone or social media usage.

Policymakers and advocates for children have recently expressed growing worry about teenagers’ usage of their phones and social media. During the previous autumn, numerous states, such as California and New York, took legal action against Meta Platforms Inc. (owner of Instagram and Facebook) for harming young individuals and playing a role in the mental health crisis among youth by intentionally and knowingly creating addicting features. In January, the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, X, and other social media companies appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to speak about the negative effects of their platforms on young people.

While there are growing worries, the majority of teenagers believe that smartphones enhance their ability to be imaginative and engage in pastimes. Additionally, 45% believe it aids their academic performance. Teenagers generally feel that the positive impacts of owning a smartphone are greater than any potential negative effects for others their age.

According to Pew, almost all teenagers in the United States (95%) possess a smartphone.

Most teenagers believe that smartphones have made it easier for people their age to engage in hobbies and interests (69%) and be creative (65%). Almost half (45%) say that these devices have also made it easier for young people to do well in school.

The survey was carried out between September 26 and October 23, 2023, with 1,453 sets of teenagers and one parent included in the sample. The margin of error is 3.2 percentage points.

Some additional discoveries from the survey include:

Approximately 47% of parents restrict the duration that their teenager is allowed to spend on their phone, while another 48% do not impose such limitations.

Approximately 40% of parents and teenagers report arguing about the amount of time the teen spends on their phone at least occasionally. In 10% of cases in both groups, this conflict occurs frequently. Hispanic Americans are the most likely to report frequent arguments about phone use.

More than half, specifically 64%, of parents with children aged 13 to 14 admitted to checking their teen’s smartphone, while only 41% of parents with children aged 15 to 17 do the same.

— Forty-two percent of teens say smartphones make learning good social skills harder, while 30% said it makes it easier.

Approximately 50% of the parents surveyed stated that they feel they use their phone excessively. Among these parents, those with higher incomes were more likely to express this sentiment compared to those with lower incomes. Additionally, white parents were found to be more likely to report spending excessive time on their phone compared to Hispanic or Black parents.