New study: depressed teenagers spend more time online
November 3, 2022
New research has found that children from outside nuclear families are more prone to spending time online. The latest survey report by the Institute for Family Studies reveals that adolescents from non-intact families spent almost two hours more per day on their screens than teenagers who live in intact, married-parent families. Consequently, they spend more time on social media, texting, gaming, and a range of other online activities, compared to their peers from stable homes.
The survey of 1,600 US adolescents aged 11 to 18 also found that children from non-intact families — such as single-parent, step-family, and foster families — were also more likely to have their dinners interrupted by tech. Only 25% of teenagers in non-intact families reported that their families eat dinner together without media distractions almost every day, compared with 35% of teens in intact families.
