A recent study by Stellenbosch University (SU) revealed that teenagers spend more than three hours per day on their phones.

Does this come as a surprise? Today’s teenagers are the first generation to grow up with constant online connectivity.

A new research report by academics at SU sheds light by providing empirical evidence of how teenagers use their smartphones at home and school.

The report, compiled by Drs Daniël le Roux from the Department of Information Science and Jennifer Feldman from the Department of Education Policy Studies, highlights key trends in smartphone ownership, usage frequency, social media engagement, and parental controls on screen time.

They collaborated with five former Model C high schools to collect data on how adolescents use their smartphones. They also surveyed parents, teachers and school management teams about their attitudes towards smartphone use at home and in the classroom. In total, 2 195 adolescents, 2 264 parents, and 203 teachers participated in the project.

“Access to these statistics is important for the planning and implementation of interventions that encourage and promote healthy smartphone habits among adolescents,” say the researchers.

How much time do teens spend on their phones?

The researchers point out that almost all the adolescents had smartphones.

On average, they spend 197 minutes (3 hours and 17 minutes) per day on their phones, with girls using their phones more (219 minutes or 3 hours and 39 minutes) than boys (176 minutes or 2 hours and 56 minutes).

Daily smartphone use increases with age, with teens in higher grades tending to spend more time on their devices per day.

What apps do teens use most?

“WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are currently the most popular social media platforms among teens.

“Girls use social media more than boys, with over 12% reporting that they check these platforms constantly.

“Boys, on the other hand, spend more time gaming on their phones (22,6 minutes per day) than girls (19,9 minutes per day). Boys also play more computer/console games (33,6 minutes per day on average) than girls (10,9 minutes per day on average).”

Most parents don’t regulate screentime

The researchers add they were surprised to find that, given the increase in smartphone use among teens in recent years, most parents do not limit or regulate the amount of time their children spend on their smartphones.

“Just under 60% of the adolescents indicated that their parents never limit the amount of time they can spend on their phones. At the other end of the spectrum, 7% indicated that their screentime is always limited. Interestingly, boys’ screentime tends to be limited more frequently than those of girls.”

Smartphone use at school

As far as smartphone use at school is concerned, the researchers found that almost all adolescents take their phones to school every day (93%) or almost every day (5%), and only 0.6% of the adolescents indicated that they never take a phone to school.

“The main motivation for this is the need to communicate with parents about after-school activities. Some schools also rely on mobile apps to share administrative information, making it difficult to implement blanket bans on phone use during school hours.

“While the data indicate that many teachers use smartphones as part of teaching and learning activities, most of them believe that phone use in class should only be allowed with the teacher’s permission.

“Not surprisingly, teens are also using tools like ChatGPT and Meta AI to generate essays, orals, and artwork for school projects. There can be little doubt that this trend will rapidly spread in the coming years. It is critical that the implications thereof for teens’ learning and cognitive development are studied and that appropriate guidelines are developed to guide schools and parents,” the report finds.

The researchers say they have already shared the findings of the report with the schools that participated in the project. They note that, because their study included only former Model C schools, the data is not necessarily representative of South African teenagers attending schools in underserved and rural communities. While the researchers attempted to include these schools in the project, they were unable to secure their participation.

Given the current debate around regulating the use of smartphones in schools, the researchers say the challenge for parents, educators, and policymakers is to strike a balance between harnessing the educational benefits of smartphones and mitigating their potential negative effects.

They call for nuanced approaches to regulation – approaches that consider individual differences, the diverse ways smartphones are used, and the rapidly evolving nature of digital technology.

More high-quality, empirical studies are needed to guide future policy decisions and interventions, add the researchers. They are busy writing up their data and have not finalised plans for future work.

• Source: Le Roux, D & Feldman, J 2024. Smartphone use among South African Adolescents. Research report: https://osf.io/kvxhd/