Young children and adolescents are staring at screens for longer, according to new research, and experts claim it’s affecting productivity, mental health and sleep patterns.
In 2019 screen usage data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) stated that 90% of children used a mobile phone, most of them doing so for more than 10 hours a week. More recent data from 2023 states that whilst the percentage of children using mobile phones has remained steady at 90%, the number of hours has risen to more than 20 hours per week, a statistic that is roughly 43% more than what is recommended by the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines.
Associate professor and screen time usage researcher Dr Dylan Cliff said this increase is partly due to the fact screens have become more than just television viewing in recent years.
“I’ve been doing this research for 10 years and very early on in my research screen time was mostly television viewing,” Dr Cliff said.
“Even then, there were links between screen time and adverse outcomes for children, things like poor language development, unhealthy weight gain, psychosocial well-being, and now it has opened up to so many more things.
“So many adolescents and even children have a phone in their pocket all the time, it’s always around them and that just means their screen use can be lots of different things.”
Data from Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2016
Studies from the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network reveal up to 83% of pre-schoolers and 85% of primary school-aged children exceed the recommended screen time guidelines set by 24-Hour Movement Guidelines. However, taking the rise of social media, accessible technology and COVID-19, these statistics are estimated to have increased meaning more children and young people are affected by the effects of screen time as increased sleep pattern issues have risen within young children.
University student Tomas Matheson said the number does not get better with age.
“My daily screen time on my phone is about four hours per day but I think combined with all my other screens it would be about seven or higher, and it definitely has an impact on my day,” he said.
“It’s almost been made too convenient, I’m just drawn to my phone screen and it makes me lazier because I’ll end up just lying in bed on my screen all day.
“I think it’s quite common with everyone I know as well.”
Research shows 20 million Australians in a population of 25.4 million now own a smartphone and because of their accessibility, it is estimated people spend 42% of their waking hours looking at a screen.
Data taken from a UOWTV study, 2025
Dr Cliff said while social media will not go away, efforts should be shifted to assessing the difference between positive social media and negative in order to properly navigate it.
“Video game playing for example, people can get hooked and play these games for hours and hours and it can affect their sleep, physical outcomes, thinking and learning ability in class,” he said.
“On the flip side however, video game play – depending on the kind of game – can be linked with the development of problem-solving skills and positive cognitive development as well as a positive social aspect. It’s important to find balance.”
The steady increase in technology and social media usage in everyday life is predicted to continue and researchers recommend finding a balance between screen time that is beneficial for young people and adults and screen time that is unnecessary or unhealthy.