2019

THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS:

MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS
 COMMON SENSE IS GRATEFUL FOR THE GENEROUS SUPPORT
AND UNDERWRITING THAT FUNDED THIS RESEARCH REPORT:

Eva and Bill Price Price Family Research Fund

Margaret and Will Hearst Carnegie Corporation of New York

Craig Newmark Philanthropies

CREDITS
Authors: Victoria Rideout, M.A., VJR Consulting
Michael B. Robb, Ph.D., Common Sense

Copy editor: Jenny Pritchett

Designer: Dana K. Herrick

Suggested citation: Rideout, V., and Robb, M. B. (2019). The Common Sense census: Media use by tweens and teens, 2019. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense Media.
2019

THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS:

MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Key Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Key Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Methodology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Screen Media Use: Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Media Devices: Access in the Home and Personal Ownership . . . . . . 27

Television . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Online Videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Gaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Social Media and Texting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Emerging Technologies: Smart Speakers and Virtual Reality . . . . . . . 41

Reading and Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Content Creation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

The Digital Divide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Media and Homework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Media Monitoring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Shopping Online. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Appendix: Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
 INTRODUCTION

THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE results of a nationally represen- •• Which media technologies young people own or have
tative survey of more than 1,600 U.S. 8- to 18-year-olds, about access to at home, and how that varies based on age or
their use of and relationship with media. The survey covers their socioeconomic status.
enjoyment of various types of media activities, how frequently
•• To what degree young people use media technology to help
they engage in those activities, and how much time they spend
with their homework, and which devices they use.
doing so. The data are presented for two age groups: tweens
(8- to 12-year-olds) and teens (13- to 18-year-olds). The survey •• The extent to which young people multitask with entertain-
addresses all types of media: from reading books in print and ment media while doing homework, and what impact they
listening to the radio to using social media, watching online think that has on the quality of their work.
videos, and playing mobile games. And it covers young people’s
interactions with media technologies ranging from television The purpose of this survey is to present a big-picture look at the
sets and video game consoles to virtual reality headsets and large trends and patterns of media usage among young people in
smart speakers. the U.S. Obviously there is tremendous diversity in how individual
children engage with technology or other media; some are invet-
The report also tracks changes in tweens’ and teens’ media
erate readers and others online gamers. Some spend their time
behaviors between 2015 and 2019, comparing the current results
coding or making digital music, while others are devoted to their
to those found in the first wave of the survey, conducted four
social media accounts or to watching the latest YouTube videos.
years ago. Each survey used a separate sample of respondents,
with the text and format of the current questionnaire staying as What this study provides is the context in which to situate those
close as possible to the previous one (allowing for some modest disparate media-use patterns. It helps us understand whether the
changes to reflect the changing media environment). As far as we girl who uses her online time to “geek out” or the boy who spends
know, this is the only nationally representative survey tracking 10 hours of his day playing video games are the norms or the
media use patterns among a truly random sample of U.S. 8- to exceptions. Just as the Dow Jones Industrial Average offers a
18-year-olds. big-picture look at how the stock market is doing on average, this
tracking survey offers a big-picture look at how young people, on
Among the topics covered are:
average, are engaging with media. It tells us whether social media
•• The degree to which tweens and teens enjoy using different use is up or down, whether video games are more or less popular,
types of media, from watching TV to listening to music and and whether disparities in home computer access still exist.
playing video games.
The goal is to provide reliable national data to help content
•• How often they do each of these media activities: daily, creators, educators, policymakers, health providers, parents,
weekly, monthly, or less. and researchers understand the role of media in young people’s
lives, as they work to promote the health and well-being of
•• In any given day, how much time they spend engaging in
tweens and teens.
various media activities, with screen or non-screen media.

•• To what extent young people or their parents monitor the

amount of time spent using screen media.

•• How media usage varies by age, gender, race/ethnicity,

household income, or parent education.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   1
2 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 KEY FINDINGS

1. On average, 8- to 12-year-olds in
this country use just under five hours’
FIGURE A. S
 creen media: Percent who use for ... hours per day,
by age, 2019
worth of entertainment screen media
per day (4:44), and teens use an average TWEENS
of just under seven and a half hours’
8%
worth (7:22)—not including time spent 15%
using screens for school or homework.
26%
Among tweens, the total amount of screen media used has 26%
stayed relatively steady over the past four years (an eight-minute
increase from 4:36, not a statistically significant difference). 25%
Among teens, the amount of time devoted to several individual ◼ None
screen activities has ticked up slightly, leading to an overall ◼ 2 hours or less

difference of 42 minutes per day compared to 2015, when total ◼ 2–4 hours*
TEENS
◼ 4–8 hours†
screen use was 6:40 (this change is not statistically significant).
4% ◼ More than 8 hours
Among teenagers, nearly two-thirds (62%) use more than four
hours’ worth of screen media, including nearly three in 10 (29%) 15%
29%
who use more than eight hours of screen media in a day (see
Figure A). Total average media time, including non-screen media 18%
activities such as reading books and listening to music, is 5:54 for
tweens and 9:49 for teens. 33%

2. Online video viewing is through

the roof: More than twice as many
*Includes from 2:01 up to and including 4 hours.
†Includes from 4:01 up to and including 8 hours.
Note: Segments may not total 100% due to rounding.
young people watch videos every day
than did in 2015, and the average time
spent watching has roughly doubled.
The biggest change in young people’s media habits over the past
four years isn’t something brand new like virtual reality; it’s the
amount of time they spend watching online videos like those
found on YouTube. The percent of young people who say they
watch online videos “every day” has more than doubled among
both age groups, going from 24% to 56% among 8- to 12-year-
olds, and from 34% to 69% among 13- to 18-year-olds (see
Figure B, page 4). And the amount of time each age group spends
watching online videos has gone from about a half hour a day to
about an hour a day on average (from 25 to 56 minutes a day
among tweens, and from 35 to 59 minutes a day among teens).

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   3
YouTube clearly dominates the online video space among both
tweens and teens. Despite the fact that YouTube says it is only FIGURE B. O
 nline video viewing: Frequency and enjoyment,
for those age 13 or older, 76% of 8- to 12-year-olds say they use by age, 2015 vs. 2019

the site. By comparison, only 23% say they watch YouTube Kids.
TWEENS TEENS
In fact, 53% of 8- to 12-year-olds say YouTube is the site they
watch “the most,” compared to just 7% for YouTube Kids. 69%
67%

Watching online videos has become so popular among tweens 58%

56%
that it is now the media activity they enjoy the most, with 67%
saying they enjoy it “a lot”; four years ago, watching online videos 46% 45%
was fifth in enjoyment among tweens, after TV, music, video
games, and mobile games. In fact, even among teenagers, watch- 34%
ing videos now comes second in enjoyment (topped only by
listening to music), beating out video games, TV, and even social 24%

media by quite a bit (58% enjoy watching online videos “a lot,”

compared to 43% for playing video games, 41% for using social
media, and 33% for watching TV).
Enjoy “a lot” Watch “every day” Enjoy “a lot” Watch “every day”

3.
◼ 2015 ◼ 2019 ◼ 2015 ◼ 2019

There has been a large drop in

the amount of time both tweens and
FIGURE C. M
 ode of television viewing among teens,
teens spend watching TV on a 2015 vs. 2019
television set.
Despite a renaissance in television programming for adults, TV 48%

seems to be losing favor among young people: Among tweens, 40%

the percent who say they enjoy watching TV “a lot” has dropped 36%
33%*
from 61% to 50%, and among teens from 45% to 33%, over
the past four years. Both tweens and teens watch about a half 24%

hour less of TV on a TV set today than they did four years ago 19%

(25 minutes less per day among tweens, and 24 minutes less
among teens).
2015 2019
Even among shows watched on a television set, most viewing is
Percent of total viewing that occurs …
now time-shifted (see Figure C). Today teens average 42 minutes
◼ Live on a TV set ◼ Time-shifted on a TV set ◼ On other devices
a day watching time-shifted TV on a TV set (such as through a
DVR, on demand, or a subscription service like Netflix), 38 *Finding differs from what was published in the 2015 report, which inadvertently
excluded on-demand viewing.
minutes watching TV on other devices, and just 25 minutes
watching programming on a TV set as it is aired (down from 54
minutes a day on average in 2015).

4 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
4.
FIGURE D. Smartphone ownership, by age, 2015 vs. 2019

By age 11, a majority (53%) of kids 89% 88% 91%

have their own smartphone, and by 12 81%
83%

more than two-thirds (69%) do. 69%

72%
77%
74%
71% 73%
Smartphone ownership has risen dramatically, even among the
53%
youngest tweens (see Figure D). In fact, nearly one in five 8-year- 59%

olds (19%) have their own smartphone, an increase from 11% in 50%
36%
2015. Smartphone ownership has grown substantially over the 41%
26%
past four years among all ages, increasing from 24% of all 8- to 32%
19%
12-year-olds in 2015 to 41% today, and from 67% to 84% among
19%
13- to 18-year-olds (see Figure E). 11%
15%

8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

5. There are substantial differences

in the amount of screen media young
AGE, IN YEARS

⎯ 2015 ⎯ 2019

people use based on socioeconomic

status.
FIGURE E. S
 martphone ownership among tweens and teens,
Tweens from higher-income homes use an hour and 50 minutes 2015 vs. 2019
less screen media per day than those from lower-income house-
84%
holds (3:59 vs. 5:49, as shown in Figure F). The difference among
teens is similar (an hour and 43 minutes a day, from 6:49 among
higher-income households to 8:32 among lower-income homes). 67%

We can’t say from the data in this report why this disparity
occurs, or whether it has any effect on young people, either
41%
positive or negative. But we can affirm that this disparity does
exist, and is fairly substantial.
24%

2015 2019
⎯ Tweens ⎯ Teens

FIGURE F. A
 verage daily screen media use among tweens and teens, by household income, 2019

TWEENS TEENS

Higher income Higher income

3:59 6:49

Lower income Lower income

5:49 8:32

Note: “Lower income” is <$35,000; “higher income” is $100,000+ per year.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   5
6. The amount of time devoted 7. Despite the new affordances and
promises of digital devices, young
to social media has remained
steady, while the age at which people devote very little time to
young people first start using creating their own content.
social media varies widely. Screen media use continues to be dominated by watching TV and
Among 16- to 18-year-olds who use social media, the median age videos, playing games, and using social media; use of digital
of first use is 14; twenty-eight percent say they started before devices for reading, writing, video chatting, or creating content
age 13, 43% at 13 or 14 years old, and 30% not until they were 15 remains minimal. The vast majority of young people don’t enjoy
or older. Overall, the average amount of time teens report spend- doing the types of activities that involve interacting with their
ing with social media each day has remained nearly exactly the devices to create their own content: No more than one in 10 in
same: 1:11 a day in 2015 and 1:10 a day in 2019, although the either age group say they enjoy “a lot” things like making digital
proportion who say they use it “every day” has increased from art or graphics (10% of tweens and 9% of teens), creating digital
45% in 2015 to 63% in 2019. music (4% of tweens and 5% of teens), coding (4% of tweens and
3% of teens), or designing or modifying their own video games
African American teens enjoy using social media more than
(4% of tweens and 6% of teens). By comparison, 67% of tweens
White teens do (51% enjoy it “a lot,” compared to 37% of Whites;
and 58% of teens enjoy watching online videos “a lot.”
Hispanics/Latinos are in between at 43%). And both African
American and Hispanic/Latino teens spend more time using Among tweens, about half (53%) of all screen use is devoted to
social media than their White peers do (among those who use it, TV or videos, and 31% to gaming (see Figure G). Just 2% of
Hispanics/Latinos devote an average of 2:23 a day, Blacks 2:15, tweens’ screen use is spent video chatting (2%), e-reading (2%),
and Whites 1:35). or creating content (such as writing, or making digital art or
music, also 2%). These proportions are virtually unchanged since
TWEENS
2015. Among teens, 39% of screen use is devoted to watching
2% each TV or videos, 22% to gaming, and 16% to social media. Four
4% percent is spent video chatting, 3% creating their own writing,
5%
art, or music, and 2% e-reading. Again, these proportions are
virtually unchanged since 2015.
53%
31% TWEENS
2% each ◼ TV/Videos
4% ◼ Gaming
FIGURE G. P  roportion of screen time devoted to various media5% activities, by age, 2019 ◼ Browsing websites
◼ Social media
TWEENS TEENS 53%
◼ Content creation
2% each 2% 31% ◼ Video chatting
6%
4% 4% ◼ E-reading
◼ TV/Videos
3%
5% ◼ Other◼ Gaming
◼ Browsing websites
16% 39%
53% ◼ Social media
31% TEENS ◼ Content creation
◼ TV/Videos8% 2% ◼ Video chatting
6%
◼ Gaming 22%
4% ◼ E-reading
3%
◼ Browsing websites ◼ Other
◼ Social media
39%
TEENS
Notes: “Content creation” includes ◼ making
writing on digital devices, Content art,creation
16%
or creating digital music. “Other” includes using GPS or other functional apps, doing email,

2% ◼ Video
shopping, and doing any other digital activities not specifically asked about in the survey.
chatting
6%
4% ◼ E-reading 8%
3%
◼ Other 22%

16% 39%

6 8%
THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

22%
8. Boys and girls have vastly
different tastes in media.
FIGURE H. F avorite media activities, 8- to 18-year-olds,
by gender, 2019

Music
This difference is starkest when it comes to gaming (see 59%
Figure H). Boys enjoy all types of gaming more than girls do: 73%
mobile games, computer games, and especially console video
Online videos
games (the latter are shortened to “video games” here). Video
67%
gaming is boys’ favorite media activity; for girls, it’s one of their
56%
least favorite. Seventy percent of boys (age 8 to 18) say they enjoy
playing video games “a lot,” compared to 23% of girls. Forty-one Social media*
percent of boys play video games “every day,” compared to 9% 32%
of girls. And on average, boys spend 1:19 a day playing video 50%
games, compared to just 14 minutes a day among girls.
TV
Girls’ favorite media activity, by far, is listening to music: Seventy- 38%
three percent of girls (age 8 to 18) say they enjoy that “a lot,” 43%
compared to 59% of boys. Overall, girls enjoy music (a 14-per-
centage-point gap), reading (11 points), and television (5 points) Reading
25%
more than boys; and boys are more likely to enjoy video gaming
(a 47-percentage-point difference), computer games (22 points), 36%

mobile games (13 points), and watching online videos (11 points). Mobile games
48%
There continues to be a big difference between boys and girls in
terms of enjoyment and use of social media. Among teens, where 35%

social media use is most common, half (50%) of all girls say they Video games
enjoy using social media “a lot” compared to about a third (32%) 70%
of boys. Seventy percent of teen girls say they use social media
23%
“every day,” compared to 56% of boys. Teen girls average an hour
and a half (1:30) a day on social media, compared to 51 minutes Computer games

a day among teen boys. 42%

◼ Boys
20% ◼ Girls

9. Young people are more than

twice as likely as they were four years
*Among 13- to 18-year-olds

ago to say that they use computers for

homework every day.
Twenty-seven percent of tweens use computers for homework
every day, as do nearly six in 10 teens (59%). This is a substantial
increase from just four years ago, when only 11% of tweens and
29% of teens said they used a computer for homework every day.
On average, teens spend 41 minutes a day doing homework on
computers, a 12-minute increase from 2015.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   7
10. The digital divide is still real.
FIGURE J. L aptop ownership among teens,
by household income, 2015 vs. 2019

Children from higher-income homes are far more likely than their
62%
peers from lower-income homes to have a computer at home or
54%
to have their own devices such as a personal laptop or smart-
phone (see Figures I, J, and K). But the differences are noticeably 36%
smaller than they were just four years ago. Among all 8- to 25%
18-year-olds, there is a 21-percentage-point gap between children
from lower- and higher-income homes’ access to a computer in
the home (73% vs. 94%). However, that’s down from a gap of 2015 2019
28 percentage points in 2015. ⎯ Lower income ⎯ Higher income

Perhaps as a result of these gaps in device ownership, children

from lower-income homes are much less likely than their peers
with higher wealth to use a computer for homework. For example, FIGURE K. S
 martphone ownership among teens,
64% of teens in higher-income homes say they use a computer by household income, 2015 vs. 2019
for homework every day, compared to 51% of teens in lower-
89%
income homes. Teens in lower-income homes also spend less time
than their peers in higher-income homes using computers for 74%
78%
homework (34 vs. 55 minutes a day on average), and more time
using their phones for homework (21 minutes a day vs. 12 minutes
51%
a day) (See Figure L).

2015 2019

⎯ Lower income ⎯ Higher income

FIGURE I. C
 omputer in the home, 8- to 18-year-olds, FIGURE L. A
 verage time teens spend using each device for
by household income, 2015 vs. 2019 homework per day, by household income, 2019

96% 94%
:55

73%
68%

:34

:21
:12

Computer Smartphone
2015 2019
◼ Lower income ◼ Higher income
⎯ Lower income ⎯ Higher income

FIGURES I–L:
Note: “Lower income” is <$35,000; “higher income” is $100,000+ per year.

8 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
11. Nearly a third (32%) of all
teens in this country say they read
FIGURE M. F requency of reading: Percent who say they read
for pleasure … , 2019

for pleasure less than once a month, TWEENS

if at all.
13%
Most tweens (66%) and just over half of teens (51%) read for fun
9% 35%
at least once a week (see Figure M), but 22% of tweens and
nearly a third (32%) of teens say they do so less than once a 11%
month (17% of teens say less than once a month, and 15% say
never). Young people’s enjoyment of reading and their likelihood 31%
of doing it for their own pleasure drop substantially as they age: ◼ Every day
Thirty-eight percent of tweens enjoy reading “a lot,” compared to ◼ At least once a week
24% of teens, and 35% of tweens are daily readers, compared to ◼ At least once a month
TEENS
22% of teens. Children who have a parent with a college degree ◼ Less than once a month
◼ Never
are more likely to enjoy reading (37% enjoy it “a lot,” compared
15%
to 24% of those whose parent has no more than a high school 22%
education). They are also more likely to be daily readers (34%
17%
compared to 20%), and they spend about 11 minutes more per
day reading (33 vs. 22 minutes a day on average). The average
29%
amount of time spent reading is about a half hour a day among 17%
both tweens and teens; this is almost exactly what was reported
in 2015.

12. The vast majority of young

people don’t use tools to track their
FIGURE N. M
 edia monitoring: Percent who say they or their
parent tracks the child’s device use, by age, 2019

screen time—nor do their parents.

TWEENS*

Among those with their own mobile device, just 15% of tweens 15%

and 12% of teens say they use an app or a tool to track their device 28%

time (see Figure N). Only about one in four tweens (28%) and 50%

even fewer teens (14%) with a phone or tablet say their parent
uses such a tool to track the child’s device time. When it comes TEENS*

to monitoring what young people are doing on their devices, 12%

however, parents seem to be more engaged: Among young 14%

people who own a mobile device, half (50%) of tweens and a 26%

quarter (26%) of teens say their parent uses some type of app or
other tool to monitor what they do on those devices. Use an app/tool to monitor time spent or use of device
◼ Child self-monitors time spent
◼ Parent monitors child’s time spent
◼ Parent monitors what child does

*Among those with their own smartphone or tablet.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   9
10 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 KEY TABLES

TABLE A. Media use and average time spent with each activity per day among tweens, over time, continued

Percent who used Average time among users Average time among all
Among 8- to 12-year-olds 2015 2019 2015 2019 2015 2019

WATCHING TV/VIDEOS 86% 84% 2:53 2:59 2:29 2:30

TV on TV set 71%a 57%b 2:05 1:52 1:29a 1:04b

‹‹ Live — — — — — —
‹‹ Time-shifted — — — — — —
‹‹ DVR — — — — — —
‹‹ On demand — — — — — —
‹‹ Subscription — — — — — —

TV on other devices 15% 18% 2:03 1:42 :18 :19

‹‹ Computer 4% 4% 1:49 # :04 :03
‹‹ Smartphone 3% a
6% b
# 1:56 :04 :07
‹‹ Tablet 7% 9% 1:37 1:23 :07 :08
‹‹ iPod Touch 2% a
* b
# # :03 a
*b

Online videos 35%a 54%b 1:12a 1:44b :25a :56b

‹‹ Computer 10% 10% :58a 1:18b :06 :08
‹‹ Smartphone 8% a
27% b
1:02 a
1:45 b
:05 a
:28b
‹‹ Tablet 16%a 22%b 1:07a 1:27b :11a :19b
‹‹ iPod Touch 4%a 2%b 1:41 # :04 :01

Other
‹‹ DVDs 14%a 7%b 1:46 1:48 :14 a :08b
‹‹ Movies (in theater) 2% 3% # # :02 :04

GAMING 66% 64% 2:00a 2:18b 1:19 1:28

Video games† 33% 30% 1:46a 2:24b :35 :44

‹‹ Console 27% N/A 1:44 N/A :28 N/A
‹‹ Hand-held 11% N/A 1:07 N/A :07 N/A

Computer games 13% 11% 1:29 1:36 :11 :11

Mobile games 45% 45% 1:13 1:17 :33 :34

‹‹ Smartphone 14% a
22% b
1:05 1:15 :09 a
:16b
‹‹ Tablet 27%a 22%b 1:12 1:13 :19 :16
‹‹ iPod Touch 7% a
2% b
1:02 # :05 a
:02b

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   11
TABLE A. Media use and average time spent with each activity per day among tweens, over time, continued

Percent who used Average time among users Average time among all
Among 8- to 12-year-olds 2015 2019 2015 2019 2015 2019

LISTENING TO MUSIC 57% 56% 1:29 1:16 :51 :43

‹‹ Computer 3% 3% # # :02 :02
‹‹ Smartphone 12%a 18%b 1:25 1:05 :10 :12
‹‹ Tablet 10% 10% :57 1:03 :06 :06
‹‹ Radio 34% a
27% b
:58 :58 :20 :16
‹‹ CD 5% N/A 1:13 N/A :04 N/A
‹‹ iPod/MP3 player 12% a
4% b
1:17 # :09 a
:02b
‹‹ Smart speaker N/A 9% N/A :53 N/A :05

READING 43% 44% 1:07 1:06 :29 :29

‹‹ Books (print) 36% 36% 1:07 :57 :24 :21
‹‹ Books (electronic) 5% 7% :49 # :02 a
:05b
‹‹ Magazines 4% 2% # # :01 :01
‹‹ Newspapers 2% * # # * *
‹‹ Computer 1% 1% # # * *
‹‹ Smartphone *a
1% b
# # *a
*b
‹‹ Tablet 2% 1% # # :01 *
‹‹ iPod Touch * * # # * *

BROWSING WEBSITES 19% 17% 1:05 1:23 :12 :14

‹‹ Computer 7% 7% :50 1:28 :04 :06
‹‹ Smartphone 5% a
8% b
# :58 :03 :05
‹‹ Tablet 6% 6% 1:16 # :04 :04
‹‹ iPod Touch 2%a *b # # :01a *b

USING SOCIAL MEDIA 15% 13% 1:43 1:17 :16 :10

‹‹ Computer 2% 1% # # :01 *
‹‹ Smartphone 9% 11% 1:56 1:21 :10 :09
‹‹ Tablet 4% 2% # # :03 :01
‹‹ iPod Touch 2% a
* b
# # :01 a
*b

MAKING ART/MUSIC 8% 10% :55 1:14 :04 :07

‹‹ Computer 2% 3% # # :01 :02
‹‹ Smartphone 2% a
4% b
# # :01 :03
‹‹ Tablet 3% 4% # # :01 :02
‹‹ iPod Touch 1% a
0% b
# # *a
:00b

12 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
TABLE A. Media use and average time spent with each activity per day among tweens, over time, continued

Percent who used Average time among users Average time among all
Among 8- to 12-year-olds 2015 2019 2015 2019 2015 2019

VIDEO-CHATTING 9% 10% 1:13 :55 :06 :05

‹‹ Computer 1% 1% # # :01 :01
‹‹ Smartphone 3%a 6%b # # :03 :03
‹‹ Tablet 2% 2% # # :01 :02
‹‹ iPod Touch 2% 1% # # :01 *

WRITING 2%a 1%b # # :01 *

‹‹ Computer 1% 1% # # * *
‹‹ Smartphone * 0% # # * :00
‹‹ Tablet 1% a
* b
# # *a
*b
‹‹ iPod Touch * N/A # N/A * N/A

ANYTHING ELSE 13% 11% 1:04 1:01 :08 :07

‹‹ Computer 2% 3% # # :01 :01
‹‹ Smartphone 4% 7% :57 :54 :03 :04
‹‹ Tablet 5% a
3% b
:39 # :02 :02
‹‹ iPod Touch 2% a
0% b
# # :03 :00

Total screen media 94% 92% 4:53 5:07 4:36 4:44

Total media 98% 98% 6:03 6:02 5:55 5:54

* Indicates more than 0 but less than one-half minute or one-half percent.
† In 2015, console and hand-held gaming were asked about in two separate questions; in 2019 they were asked about in a single combined question.
# Indicates that the sample size of users is too small for reliable results (n < 50).
— Indicates a question asked only of 13- to 18-year-olds.
“N/A” indicates that the question was not asked that year.
Notes: Superscripts (a,b) are used to denote whether differences over time are statistically significant (p < .05). Items with different superscripts differ significantly.
All times are rounded to the nearest minute. Totals are rounded to the nearest minute after unrounded times are summed. As a result, totals shown in the table may differ
slightly from the sum of rounded times shown in the table.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   13
TABLE B. Media use and average time spent with each activity per day among teens, over time, continued

Percent who used Average time among users Average time among all
Among 13- to 18-year-olds 2015 2019 2015 2019 2015 2019
a b
WATCHING TV/VIDEOS 81% 86% 3:18 3:21 2:41 2:52

TV on TV set 64%a 50%b 2:21 2:14 1:31a 1:07b

‹‹ Live 44%a 20%b 2:03 2:07 :54 a :25b
‹‹ Time-shifted‡ 34% 37% 1:50 1:54 :37 :42
‹‹ DVR 14% a
7% b
1:23 1:18 :12 a
:06b
‹‹ On demand/Subscription 23%a 33%b 1:47 1:52 :25a :36b
‹‹ On demand§ N/A 10% N/A 1:21 N/A :08
‹‹ Subscription §
N/A 27% N/A 1:46 N/A :28

TV on other devices 19%a 33%b 1:59 1:54 :22a :38b

‹‹ Computer 9% 10% 1:37 1:47 :09 :10
‹‹ Smartphone 6% a
20% b
2:16 1:50 :08 a
:22b
‹‹ Tablet 4% 5% 1:49 # :04 :05
‹‹ iPod Touch 1% a
* b
# # :02 a
*b

Online videos 45%a 61%b 1:18a 1:37b :35a :59b

‹‹ Computer 17%a 13%b 1:07a 1:32b :11 :12
‹‹ Smartphone 22% a
46% b
1:08 1:26 :15 a
:39b
‹‹ Tablet 8% 8% 1:10 1:35 :06 :07
‹‹ iPod Touch 3% a
* b
# # :02 a
*b

Other
‹‹ DVDs 9%a 4%b 1:57 # :11a :04b
‹‹ Movies (in theater) 3% 3% # # :03 :04

LISTENING TO MUSIC 81% 83% 2:20 2:31 1:54 2:05

‹‹ Computer 12% a
8% b
2:11 2:24 :16 :12
‹‹ Smartphone 40% a
62% b
1:41 1:53 :41 a
1:11b
‹‹ Tablet 8%a 4%b 1:36 # :07 :06
‹‹ Radio 34% a
28% b
1:20 1:27 :27 :24
‹‹ CD 6% N/A 1:16 N/A :05 N/A
‹‹ iPod/MP3 player 17% a
4% b
1:46 # :18 a
:04b
‹‹ Smart speaker N/A 8% N/A 1:39 N/A :08

14 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
TABLE B. Media use and average time spent with each activity per day among teens, over time, continued

Percent who used Average time among users Average time among all
Among 13- to 18-year-olds 2015 2019 2015 2019 2015 2019
a b a
GAMING 56% 56% 2:25 2:52 1:21 1:36b

Video games† 28% 30% 2:13a 2:43b :37a :49b

‹‹ Console 25% N/A 2:09 N/A :32 N/A
‹‹ Hand-held 6% N/A 1:31 N/A :05 N/A

Computer games 14% 13% 2:14 2:35 :19 :19

Mobile games 34% 35% 1:12 1:19 :25 :27

‹‹ Smartphone 23% a
30% b
1:04 1:10 :15 a
:21b
‹‹ Tablet 9%a 6%b 1:12 1:40 :07 :06
‹‹ iPod Touch 4% a
* b
1:15 # :03 a
*b

USING SOCIAL MEDIA 58% 61% 2:04 1:56 1:11 1:10

‹‹ Computer 14% a
6% b
1:35 # :13 a
:06b
‹‹ Smartphone 40%a 56%b 1:52 1:48 :45a 1:00b
‹‹ Tablet 8%a 2%b 1:43 # :08a :04b
‹‹ iPod Touch 4%a *b 2:21 # :06a *b

BROWSING WEBSITES 47% 47% 1:15 1:18 :36 :37

‹‹ Computer 21% a
17% b
1:09 1:04 :14 :11
‹‹ Smartphone 22% a
34% b
1:06 1:10 :15 a
:24b
‹‹ Tablet 9%a 4%b :54 # :05a :02b
‹‹ iPod Touch 2%a *b # # :02a *b

READING 29% 30% 1:37 1:35 :28 :29

‹‹ Books (print) 17% 16% 1:28 a
1:11 b
:15 :12
‹‹ Books (electronic) 4%a 9%b 1:28 1:29 :03a :08b
‹‹ Magazines 5%a 3%b :56 # :03 :02
‹‹ Newspapers 3% a
1% b
# # :02 :01
‹‹ Computer 5% a
2% b
:45 # :02 a
:01b
‹‹ Smartphone 4%a 7%b :52 1:15 :02 :05
‹‹ Tablet 1% 1% # # :01 :01
‹‹ iPod Touch 1% a
* b
# # *a
*b

VIDEO-CHATTING 13%a 20%b 1:38 1:33 :13a :19b

‹‹ Computer 4%a 2%b 1:54 # :04 a :01b
‹‹ Smartphone 7%a 18%b 1:18 1:29 :06a :16b
‹‹ Tablet 2% 1% # # :02 :02
‹‹ iPod Touch 1% a
* b
# # :01 a
*b

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   15
TABLE B. Media use and average time spent with each activity per day among teens, over time, continued

Percent who used Average time among users Average time among all
Among 13- to 18-year-olds 2015 2019 2015 2019 2015 2019
a b a
MAKING ART/MUSIC 5% 10% 1:23 1:18 :05 :08b
‹‹ Computer 2% 4% # # :02 :03
‹‹ Smartphone 2%a 5%b # 1:15 :02a :04b
‹‹ Tablet 1%a 2%b # # * :01
‹‹ iPod Touch 1% * # # * *

WRITING 4% 5% 1:37 # :04 :04

‹‹ Computer 3% 2% # # :02 :01
‹‹ Smartphone 1% 2% # # * :02
‹‹ Tablet 1% 1% # # :02 *
‹‹ iPod Touch * N/A # N/A * N/A

ANYTHING ELSE 32% 30% 1:14 1:34 :23 :28

‹‹ Computer 8% 8% :59 1:09 :04 :06
‹‹ Smartphone 22% 22% 1:01 a
1:33 b
:13 :21
‹‹ Tablet 4% 3% 1:40 # :04 :01
‹‹ iPod Touch 3% a
* b
# # :02 a
*b

Total screen media 94% 96% 7:07 7:40 6:40 7:22

Total media 97% 98% 9:12 9:20 8:56 9:49

* Indicates more than 0 but less than one-half minute or one-half percent.
† In 2015, console and hand-held gaming were asked about in two separate questions; in 2019 they were asked about in a single combined question.
‡ Data listed here for 2015 differs from that published in the 2015 report because the 2015 report inadvertently excluded on-demand/subscription.
§ In 2015, on-demand and subscription services were asked about in a single combined question; in 2019 they were asked about in two separate questions.
# Indicates that the sample size of users is too small for reliable results (n < 50).
“N/A” indicates that the question was not asked that year.
Notes: Superscripts (a,b) are used to denote whether differences over time are statistically significant (p < .05). Items with different superscripts differ significantly.
All times are rounded to the nearest minute. Totals are rounded to the nearest minute after unrounded times are summed. As a result, totals shown in the table may differ
slightly from the sum of rounded times shown in the table.

16 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
TABLE C. Daily media activities, by age, over time TABLE D. Media enjoyment, by age, over time

2019 2019

Tweens who … “every day” Teens who … “every day” Tweens who enjoy … “a lot” Teens who enjoy … “a lot”
Watch TV 63% Listen to music 82% Watching online videos 67% Listening to music 74%
Watch online videos 56% Watch online videos 69% Listening to music 55% Watching online videos 58%
Listen to music 47% Use social media 63% Playing mobile games 55% Playing video games* 43%
Play mobile games 46% Watch TV 57% Playing video games* 52% Using social media 41%
Read for pleasure 35% Play mobile games 46% Watching TV 50% Watching TV 33%
Play video games* 24% Play video games* 27% Reading for pleasure 38% Playing mobile games 30%
Use a smart speaker 17% Read for pleasure 22% Playing computer games 37% Playing computer games 27%
Play computer games 15% Play computer games 17% Writing for pleasure 11% Reading for pleasure 24%
Use social media 13% Shop online 15% Creating digital art 10% Creating digital art 9%
Shop online 4% Use a smart speaker 13% Using social media 8% Writing for pleasure 8%
Use virtual reality 2% Use virtual reality 4% Using virtual reality 6% Modifying video games 6%
Coding 4% Creating digital music 5%
2015
Creating digital music 4% Using virtual reality 5%
Tweens who … “every day” Teens who … “every day”
Modifying video games 4% Coding 3%
Watch TV 62% Listen to music 66%
Listen to music 37% Watch TV 58% 2015

Play mobile games 27% Use social media 45% Tweens who enjoy … “a lot” Teens who enjoy … “a lot”
Read for pleasure 27% Watch online videos 34% Watching TV 61% Listening to music 73%
Watch online videos 24% Play mobile games 27% Listening to music 54% Watching online videos 45%
Play computer games 14% Read for pleasure 19% Playing video games* 52% Watching TV 45%
Play video games* 12% Play computer games 17% Playing mobile games 51% Playing video games* 42%
Use social media 10% Play video games* 15% Watching online videos 46% Using social media 36%

*On a console Reading for pleasure 41% Reading for pleasure 30%
Playing computer games 39% Playing mobile games 27%
Using social media 13% Playing computer games 26%
Writing for pleasure 13% Writing for pleasure 9%
Creating digital art 11% Creating digital art 7%
Modifying video games 5% Creating digital music 5%
Coding 4% Coding 3%
Creating digital music 4% Modifying video games 3%

*On a console

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   17
TABLE E. Media activities, by age, over time

2019

Tweens who ever … Teens who ever …

Watch TV 96% Listen to music 98%
Listen to music 94% Watch online videos 98%
Watch online videos 94% Watch TV 96%
Play mobile games 93% Play mobile games 91%
Read for pleasure 86% Shop online 86%
Play video games* 80% Read for pleasure 85%
Play computer games 72% Play video games* 84%
Shop online 50% Use social media 82%
Use a smart speaker 45% Play computer games 72%
Use social media 31% Use a smart speaker 45%
Use virtual reality 22% Use virtual reality 27%

2015

Tweens who ever … Teens who ever …

Watch TV 98% Listen to music 97%
Listen to music 93% Watch TV 96%
Read for pleasure 88% Watch online videos 93%
Play computer games 85% Play video games* 85%
Play video games* 85% Read for pleasure 84%
Watch online videos 85% Use social media 83%
Play mobile games 84% Play mobile games 82%
Use social media 34% Play computer games 79%

*On a console

18 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 METHODOLOGY

THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE results of a nationally representa- Entertainment media. The bulk of the study concerns the use of
tive, probability-based online survey of 1,677 U.S. young people media for entertainment purposes; however, use of media for
age 8 to 18 years old, conducted from March 11 to April 3, 2019. homework was also explored, and those results are reported
The current survey is the second in a series of cross-sectional separately. The term “entertainment media” is occasionally used
surveys conducted by Common Sense Media among this age in the report, to distinguish media used for school or homework
group, tracking the media activities of young people in the United from media used for other purposes.
States. Data from the first wave of the survey, conducted in 2015,
are provided in this report and used to measure changes in media
Survey Sample
activities and attitudes over this period. To the extent possible,
the current survey duplicates questions asked in the previous The survey was conducted online among a nationally representa-
survey, updating as necessary to accommodate new technolo- tive, probability-based sample of 1,677 U.S. young people age 8
gies. A copy of the complete questionnaire is provided in the to 18 years old, using the Ipsos KnowledgePanel © . African
appendix to this report. In cases where the question wording or American respondents were oversampled to ensure a total
structure has changed since 2015, those changes are noted in the sample size of 250 respondents. Unlike the members of most
relevant tables. other online survey panels, KnowledgePanel© members were
recruited using probability-based methods such as address-
The project was directed by Michael Robb, senior director of
based sampling and random-digit-dial telephone calls.
research at Common Sense Media, and Vicky Rideout, president
Households that were not already online were provided with a
of VJR Consulting. Data analyses were conducted by Ms. Rideout
device and internet access for the purpose of participating in
and Melissa Saphir of Saphir Research, and the report was
surveys. The use of a probability sample means the results are
written by Ms. Rideout. The survey was administered by Ipsos,
substantially more generalizable to the U.S. population than are
using their KnowledgePanel ©, a probability-based web panel
results based on so-called “convenience” samples. Convenience
designed to be representative of the United States. The survey
samples include only respondents who are already online and
was offered in English or Spanish.
who volunteer through word of mouth or advertising to partici-
pate in surveys.
Media Included in the Study
Parental consent and respondent compensation. Parental permis-
Media activities. The media activities covered in the survey sion was obtained for all respondents. Respondents received a
include: watching television, movies, and videos; playing video, cash equivalent of $5 for their participation; African American
computer, and mobile games; listening to music; using social respondents received an additional $5 equivalent to improve
media; reading; browsing websites; video-chatting; writing on response rates among this lower-incidence demographic group.
digital devices; creating digital art or music; and using digital
Weighting. The use of probability-based recruitment methods for
devices for other purposes (such as emailing, shopping, coding,
the KnowledgePanel© is designed to ensure that the resulting
or using functional apps for tasks such as getting directions or
sample properly represents the population of the U.S., including
weather). While there were questions about the number of texts
geographically, demographically (e.g., age, gender, race/ethnic-
sent per day, texting was not included in time estimates.
ity, income), and in terms of home internet access. Study-specific
Media devices. The media devices covered in the survey include: post-stratification weights were applied once the data was
television sets, computers, tablets, smartphones, e-readers, iPod finalized, to adjust for any survey nonresponse and to ensure
Touches, books, newspapers, magazines, radios, video game the proper distributions for the specific target population (in
consoles, hand-held video game players, virtual reality headsets, this case, 8- to 18-year-olds). For this study, the benchmark
and smart speakers.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   19
distributions presented in the table below (from the U.S. Census estimates appeared credible. In this case, the questionable
Bureau’s March 2018 Current Population Survey) were used for estimate was replaced with the mean time spent in that activity
the raking adjustment of weights. Distributions for household among respondents of the same age and gender, but the rest
internet access were obtained from the Census Bureau’s October of the respondent’s answers were included in the data set
2012 Supplement. as reported.

Outliers. One respondent reported time estimates that were not Imputation of data. Due to a programming error, data for time
deemed credible or valid, and that respondent was removed as spent watching TV was not collected properly for a total of 76
an outlier. A second respondent reported a time estimate for one respondents. The missing data were imputed based on the
activity that did not appear valid, but the remainder of their average for those respondents’ age, gender, and race.

U.S. Benchmarks and Demographic Profile of Survey Sample

Unweighted Weighted Unweighted Weighted

Benchmark percent percent n n

Age
‹‹ 8- to 12-year-olds 45% 46% 45% 767 754
‹‹ 13- to 18-year-olds 55% 54% 55% 910 924

Gender
‹‹ Boys 51% 50% 51% 841 853
‹‹ Girls 49% 50% 49% 836 824

Race/Ethnicity
‹‹ White 52% 54% 52% 907 867
‹‹ Hispanic 25% 21% 25% 348 414
‹‹ Black 14% 15% 13% 250 226
‹‹ Other 6% 6% 6% 94 107
‹‹ Two or more races 4% 5% 4% 78 63

Income*
‹‹ <$25,000 13% 15% 13% 247 219
‹‹ $25,000 to $49,999 19% 18% 19% 299 319
‹‹ $50,000 to $74,999 16% 19% 16% 317 272
‹‹ $75,000+ 52% 49% 52% 814 867

Internet access†
‹‹ Yes 83% 97% 97% 1,629 1627
‹‹ No 17% 3% 3% 48 50
Total sample 1,677 1,677

*Income breaks used in data analysis were less than $35,000, $35,000–99,999, and $100,000 or more.
†
Other than the dial-up access provided by GfK/Ipsos for purposes of participating in KnowledgePanel© surveys.
Source of demographic benchmarks: March 2018 Current Population Survey, U.S. Census Bureau. Benchmarks for internet access are from the Census Bureau’s
October 2012 Supplement.

20 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Descriptions of Demographic Groups Presentation of Data in the Text
Income categories. For the purposes of this report, lower-income Statistical significance. Where relevant, differences among demo-
families are defined as those with incomes of less than $35,000 graphic groups or over time have been tested for statistical
a year; middle-income families are those earning from $35,000 significance. Unless otherwise noted, findings are referred to in
to $99,999 a year; and higher-income families are those earning the text in a comparative manner (e.g., “more than,” “less than”)
$100,000 a year or more. only if the differences are statistically significant at the level of
p < .05. In tables where statistical significance has been tested,
Age groups. The report uses the word “tweens” to describe the
superscripts indicate whether results differ at p < .05. Items that
age group of 8- to 12-year-olds. The report also uses “teens” or,
share a common superscript or that do not have a superscript do
sometimes, “teenagers” to refer to the age group of 13- to
not differ significantly.
18-year-olds.
Notation of hours and minutes. Throughout the report, time spent
Parent education. Respondents are grouped into three categories
with media is presented in hours:minutes. For example, “two
based on the highest level of education attained by either parent.
hours and 10 minutes” is sometimes presented as 2:10; “10
“High school” includes those whose parent(s) have no more than
minutes” is sometimes presented as :10.
a high school diploma; “some college” includes those with at least
one parent who attended college but did not receive a four-year Rounding. Percentages will not always add up to 100 due to
degree; and “college degree” includes those respondents with at rounding or multiple response options, or because those who
least one parent who has a bachelor’s degree or higher. marked “don’t know” or did not respond are not included. Times
for individual activities are rounded to the nearest minute. Time
Race/ethnicity. The terms “Black” and “African American” are
estimates for categories that combine multiple activities (e.g.,
used interchangeably in the report and refer to any respondents
total gaming time, which includes video, mobile, and computer
who self-identify as non-Hispanic and Black. Where findings are
gaming) are summed from unrounded data; only the total is
broken out by race/ethnicity, results are presented for White,
rounded.
Black, and Hispanic/Latino young people; respondents in the
“other” category are included in the total sample but not in find-
ings that are broken out by race (the cell sizes of each individual Measuring Media Use
group in the “other” category are not large enough for us to
All data presented in this report are based on self-reports.
examine differences between them).
Because of the range of media activities covered—including lis-
tening to music, watching television, playing console video
Margin of Error games, and reading books and magazines—there is no passive
data-collection method that could provide these data. There are
The margin of error for the full sample is +/-2.8%. The margin of
various ways researchers can structure self-reports, such as by
error for subgroups is higher.
using diaries that ask respondents to look back at the end of their
day and list all their daily activities in 10- to 15-minute incre-
ments, or by asking respondents how much time they spend
doing various activities “in a typical day.” This survey asks
respondents to think about what they did on a specific day: the
day before they took the survey. Responses were collected evenly
over the seven days of the week. By asking about what respon-
dents did the previous day, this method approaches the
immediacy of a diary methodology, but without the respondent
being burdened with documenting all activities or doing so in very
short time increments. It also provides the specificity of having a
particular day in mind, as diaries do.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   21
One of the basic findings presented in the report is the average
(mean) amount of time spent on each activity “among all” tweens
or teens. The amount of time spent with any activity or device
per day “among all” reflects both the percent who engaged in
those activities and the length of time spent doing them. For
example, in a typical day in this country, 61% of teens watch
online videos, and those who watch spend an average of an hour
and 37 minutes watching; therefore the average among all teens
is 59 minutes per day. Obviously not all teens are sitting down
and watching online videos for precisely 59 minutes each day.
Many aren’t watching at all, some are watching for 30 minutes,
and some are watching for several hours. But this average
“among all” gives us a quick way to assess where a particular
media activity stands in relation to other activities.

The fact that young people spend a certain amount of time each
day with media does not mean that they spend that time doing
nothing else but using media. If a teen spends an hour watching
TV, an hour listening to music, an hour reading, and an hour using
social media, she will have a total of four hours of media use. But
it is important to remember that for a portion of the time she is
using media, she may be doing other activities at the same time.
For example, she may be watching TV while getting dressed or
cleaning her room, browsing social media while taking the bus to
school, and listening to music while working out. This study docu-
ments the amount of time young people spend with media, but it
does not determine whether the time was spent only with media.

In addition, many young people often use more than one medium
at the same time. For example, a teen who spends an hour playing
mobile games and an hour listening to music has a total of two
hours of media use. But they may have done the activities simul-
taneously—listening to music while playing a mobile game. In
other words, they may have used two hours’ worth of media in
one hour, due to simultaneous media use.

22 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 SCREEN MEDIA USE: OVERVIEW

ON AVERAGE, 8- TO 12-year-olds in this country use just under 2015 (6:40 a day at that time; this overall difference is not statisti-
five hours’ worth of screen media per day (4:44; see Table 1), and cally significant due to the wide variation in screen time use
13- to 18-year-olds use just under seven and a half hours’ worth among teens).
(7:22). These figures do not mean that young people devote five
Total average media time, including non-screen media activities
to seven hours a day exclusively to using screen media. During
such as reading books and listening to music, is 5:54 for tweens
some of this time they may be doing other things (getting dressed
(5:55 in 2015) and 9:49 for teens (8:56 in 2015). Neither change
with the TV on, riding in a car while watching videos on a smart-
in overall average media time is statistically significant (see
phone), and some of the time they may be doing more than one
Tables A and B, starting on page 11).
screen activity at a time (media multitasking, such as browsing
social media on a smartphone while watching TV on a TV set).

Over the past four years, the total amount of screen media used
While there is no single dramatic
by tweens has stayed relatively steady, rising slightly from 4:36
to 4:44, with the largest change coming in digital gaming (a nine- change in screen media usage,
minute increase that is not statistically significant). Among teens,
the amount of time devoted to various screen activities has ticked the amount of time teens spend
up slightly, leading to an overall total of 7:22 minutes a day in
2019. While there is no single dramatic change in screen media
gaming is up 15 minutes, and
usage among teens, the amount of time spent gaming is up 15 watching TV or videos is up
minutes, time spent watching TV or videos is up 11 minutes, and
e-reading is up 5 minutes. These and other smaller changes con- 11 minutes.
tribute to a total of 42 more minutes a day of screen use than in

TABLE 1. Average daily screen media use, by activity and age, 2015 vs. 2019

Among 8- to 12-year-olds Among 13- to 18-year-olds

Average daily use Average daily use
devoted to … 2015 2019 devoted to … 2015 2019
TV/Videos 2:29 2:30 TV/Videos 2:41 2:52
a
Games 1:19 1:28 Games 1:21 1:36b
Browsing websites :12 :14 Social media 1:11 1:10
Social media :16 :10 Browsing websites :36 :37
a
Content creation* :05 :08 Video-chatting :13 :19b
Video-chatting :06 :05 E-reading :03a :08b
E-reading :03a :05b Content creation* :09 :12
† †
Other :08 :07 Other :23 :28
Total screen use 4:36 4:44 Total screen use 6:40 7:22

* Includes making digital art or music, or writing on a digital device.

† Includes using GPS or other functional apps, emailing, shopping, and doing any other digital activities not specifically asked about in the survey.
Note: Superscripts (a,b) are used to denote whether differences over time are statistically significant (p < .05). Items with different superscripts differ significantly.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   23
Of course, individual usage varies widely; the totals provided here Some experts on children’s media usage are debating whether
are averages. Examining the data from another perspective, we the term “screen time” means much anymore, given the wide
are able to explore young people’s screen usage by looking at the variety of activities young people can engage in via their screens.
proportion who fall into different incremental categories of usage: For example, it is often noted that teens may be using their
for example, how many have two hours or less of screen use in a screens to Skype with grandparents, read poetry, or write code.
day, and how many have more than eight hours of use. Among In this report, we are able to document the proportion of screen
8- to 12-year-olds, in any given day about 8% don’t use any use that is devoted to each of these various types of activities, so
screen media at all, and another 26% have two hours or less of that when we refer to “screen time” or “screen media” we can
screen time (see Table 2). Twenty-six percent use between four have a common understanding of how most young people in the
and eight hours of screen media, and 15% use more than eight U.S. are engaging with screens. And what we find is that activities
hours’ worth of screen activities. Among teenagers, nearly two- often cited to invalidate the use of the term “screen time” are,
thirds (62%) use more than four hours’ worth of screen media, statistically speaking, quite rare. We also find that the amount
including nearly three in 10 (29%) who use more than eight and proportion of screen use devoted to these other activities
hours’ worth of screen media in a day. have barely budged over the past four years.

Among teens, the vast majority of screen use is devoted to

watching TV or videos, gaming, and using social media (see Table
TABLE 2. S
 creen media use, by age, 2015 vs. 2019 3). Among tweens, about half (53%) of all screen use is devoted
to TV or videos, and 31% to gaming. Just 2% of screen use among
Tweens Teens
Percent who use this age group is spent creating content (such as writing, or
for … per day 2015 2019 2015 2019 making digital art or music). Likewise, 2% of tween screen use is
None 6% 8% 6% 4% spent video-chatting, and 2% is devoted to e-reading. These
2 hours or less 28% 26% 16% 15% proportions are virtually unchanged since 2015.
2–4 hours* 27% 25% 20% 18% Among teens, 39% of screen use is devoted to watching TV or
†
4–8 hours 26% 26% 31% 33% videos, 22% to gaming, and 16% to using social media. Four
More than 8 hours 14% 15% 26% 29% percent of screen time is spent video-chatting, 2% e-reading, and
3% writing or creating art or music. Again, these proportions are
*Includes from 2:01 up to and including 4 hours.
†Includes from 4:01 up to and including 8 hours. virtually unchanged since 2015.

TABLE 3. Proportion of screen use devoted to various activities, by age, 2015 vs. 2019

Among 8- to 12-year-olds Among 13- to 18-year-olds

Screen use devoted to … 2015 2019 Screen use devoted to … 2015 2019
TV/Videos 54% 53% TV/Videos 40% 39%
Gaming 29% 31% Gaming 20% 22%
Browsing websites 4% 5% Social media 18% 16%
Social media 6% 4% Browsing websites 9% 8%
Content creation* 2% 2% Video-chatting 3% 4%
E-reading 1% 2% Content creation* 2% 3%
Video-chatting 2% 2% E-reading 2% 2%
† †
Other 3% 2% Other 6% 6%
Total screen use 4:36 4:44 Total screen use 6:40 7:22

* Includes making digital art or music, or writing on a digital device.

† Includes using GPS or other functional apps, emailing, shopping, and doing any other digital activities not specifically asked about in the survey.

24 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
At the same time, while we know which types of screen activities There has been discussion
young people are devoting their time to, what we don’t know from
this data is the quality of the content they are engaging with. among child and media
There is a wide array of content available to them, and this par-
ticular study does not document which specific shows tweens
experts as to whether the term
and teens are watching, which games they’re playing, or the “screen time” means much
quality of their interactions on social media. Six hours of makeup
tutorial videos on YouTube is different from six hours of Planet anymore, given the wide
Earth; the mere fact of the amount of time devoted to watching
TV or videos certainly does not tell the whole story of young variety of activities young
people’s screen use.
people can engage in via their
There are substantial differences in the amount of screen media
used by young people from different racial, ethnic, or socio­
screens. In this study, we find
economic groups (see Table 4). For example, teenagers from
that activities often cited to
lower-income households spend more time with screen media
than those from higher-income homes (1:43 more). In addition, invalidate the use of the term
African American and Hispanic/Latino teens use more screen
media than White teens do (1:52 more among African Americans, “screen time” are, statistically
and 1:34 more among Hispanics/Latinos). Among tweens,
similar differences occur by household income and race/ethnic-
speaking, quite rare.
ity, with additional variations by gender (8- to 12-year-old boys
spend 1:06 more with screens than girls that age) and by parent
education (tweens whose parents have a college degree spend
almost two hours less per day [1:50] with screens than those
whose parents have no more than a high school diploma).

There are substantial differences in the amount of screen

media used by young people from different racial, ethnic,
or socioeconomic groups.

TABLE 4. Screen use, by age and demographic, 2019

Gender Race/Ethnicity Family income Parent education

Average daily
total screen use Hispanic/ High Some College
among … Boys Girls White Black Latino Lower Middle Higher school college degree
8- to 12-year-olds 5:16a 4:10b 4:15a 6:04b 5:12b 5:49a 4:52a 3:59b 5:42a 5:08a 3:52b
13- to 18-year-olds 7:36 7:07 6:40a 8:32b 8:14b 8:32a 7:17 6:49b 8:03 7:02 7:02

Note: “Lower” income is <$35,000; “middle” is $35,000–99,999; and “higher” is $100,000 or more. Superscripts (a,b) are used to denote whether differences between
groups are statistically significant (p < .05). Items with different superscripts differ significantly.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   25
26 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 MEDIA DEVICES:
ACCESS IN THE HOME AND PERSONAL OWNERSHIP
Media devices in the home. Not surprisingly, young people’s
homes are full of digital and other media technologies (see TABLE 5. T
 echnology in the home, 2015 vs. 2019
Table 5). About nine out of 10 young people live in a home with Percent of 8- to 18-year-olds with
at least one smartphone (91%) and TV set (87%). At least three- … in the home 2015 2019
quarters have a laptop computer (79%), video game player Smartphone 82% a
91%b
(78%), and tablet (75%) in the home, and about half (52%) live TV set 95%a 87%b
in a household with a desktop computer.
Laptop 75%a 79%b
There have been only modest changes since 2015: The propor- Video game player* 85%a 78%b
tion with smartphones has increased from 82% to 91%; the share Tablet 76% 75%
with television sets has gone down from 95% to 87%; and the a
Desktop computer 60% 52%b
presence of desktop computers has dropped from 60% of young
Smart speaker N/A 30%
people’s homes to 52%. And the iPod Touch is clearly on its way
E-reader 28% 27%
out, with the percent of families that own one going from 32% in
a
2015 down to 19% today. iPod Touch 32% 19%b
Virtual reality headset N/A 14%
Two new devices have begun to make an appearance in young
people’s homes: smart speakers and virtual reality headsets. *Console or hand-held
Notes: “N/A” indicates that the question was not asked that year. Superscripts
Smart speakers such as Amazon’s Echo and the Google Home (a,b) are used to denote whether differences over time are statistically
have established a substantial presence in many young people’s significant (p < .05). Items with different superscripts differ significantly.

homes over a short period of time (the Echo was first released in
2017). Nearly one in three 8- to 18-year-olds (30%) now live in a
home with such a device. Virtual reality headsets have been a bit
slower to catch on: Fourteen percent of young people report
having a VR headset in their homes.

Two new devices have begun to

make an appearance in young
people’s homes: smart speakers
and virtual reality headsets.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   27
Personal device ownership. In addition to having access to digital
technology in the home, large numbers of young people have
their own devices. Even among 8- to 12-year-olds, half (52%)
have their own tablet, 41% have their own smartphone, and 23%
have their own laptop (see Table 6). Smartphone ownership has
expanded substantially among both tweens and teens over the By age 11, a majority (53%)
past four years, increasing from 24% of tweens in 2015 to 41%
today, and from 67% to 84% of teens (see Figure 1). By age 11, a of kids have their own
majority (53%) of kids have their own smartphone; by 12, more
than two-thirds (69%) do, and by 13, nearly three out of four smartphone.
(72%) do (see Figure 2). Smartwatches, which can display text
messages and social media notifications, play music, and act as
fitness trackers, have also made some inroads into the teen
market, with 13% of teenagers saying they own one (see Table 6).

FIGURE 1. S
 martphone ownership, tweens vs. teens, FIGURE 2. S
 martphone ownership, by individual age,
2015 vs. 2019 2015 vs. 2019
89% 88% 91%
83%
84% 81%

72%
69% 77%
74%
67% 71% 73%
53%
59%

50%
41% 36%
41%
26%
32%
24% 19%

19%
15%
11%

2015 2019 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
⎯ Tweens ⎯ Teens AGE, IN YEARS

⎯ 2015 ⎯ 2019

TABLE 6. Personal device ownership, by age, 2015 vs. 2019

Percent of 8- to 12-year-olds who own a(n) … 2015 2019 Percent of 13- to 18-year-olds who own a(n) … 2015 2019
a
Tablet 53% 52% Smartphone 67% 84%b
Smartphone 24%a 41%b Laptop 45% 49%
Laptop 19% 23% Tablet 37% 35%
iPod Touch 21%a 12%b Smartwatch N/A 13%
E-reader 7% 9% E-reader 9% 10%
a
Smartwatch N/A 5% iPod Touch 20% 9%b

Notes: “N/A” indicates that the question was not asked that year. Superscripts (a,b) are used to denote whether differences over time are statistically significant
(p < .05). Items with different superscripts differ significantly.

28 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 TELEVISION

“WATCHING TV” IS A phrase that now encompasses many dif- television programming, about an hour (1:04) of it watched on a
ferent things, including watching programming from a broadcast TV set and 19 minutes watched on other devices (see Table 7).
or cable network on a TV set as it is aired; watching shows that Teens spend a bit more time watching television content, averag-
were recorded earlier on a DVR; streaming shows to a smart TV; ing 1:45 a day; they spend about the same amount as tweens
or accessing shows on a smartphone or laptop, whether through watching on a TV set (1:07) but about twice the time watching
a cable or broadcast app or a subscription service like Netflix or TV shows on other devices, averaging 38 minutes a day.
Hulu. In total, tweens spend an average of 1:23 a day watching

TABLE 7. Television: Enjoyment, frequency, time spent, and mode of viewing, by age, 2015 vs. 2019

Among 8- to 12-year-olds Among 13- to 18-year-olds

2015 2019 2015 2019
a b a
Enjoyment: Percent who enjoy “a lot” 61% 50% 45% 33%b

Frequency: Percent who watch “every day” 62% 63% 58% 57%

Time spent: Average daily TV time (among all) 1:47a 1:23b 1:53 1:45

TV on TV set 1:29a 1:04b 1:31a 1:07b

‹‹ Live — — :54 a :25b
‹‹ Time-shifted† — — :37 :42
‹‹ DVR — — :12 a
:06 b
‹‹ On demand/Subscription — — :25a :36b
‹‹ On demand‡ — — N/A :08
‹‹ Subscription‡ — — N/A :28

TV on other devices :18 :19 :22a :38b

‹‹ Computer :04 :03 :09 :10
‹‹ Smartphone :04 :07 :08 a
:22b
‹‹ Tablet :07 :08 :04 :05
‹‹ iPod Touch :03 a
* b
:02 a
*b

* Indicates more than 0 but less than one-half minute or one-half percent.
† D
 ata listed here for 2015 differs from that published in the 2015 report, because the 2015 report inadvertently excluded on-demand and subscription viewing from the
“time shifted” viewing total.
‡ In 2015 on-demand and subscription services were asked about in a single combined question; in 2019 they were asked about in two separate questions.
— Indicates a question asked only of 13- to 18-year-olds.
“N/A” indicates that the question was not asked that year.
Note: All times are rounded to the nearest minute. Totals are rounded to the nearest minute after summing unrounded times. As a result, totals shown in the table may
differ slightly from the sum of rounded times shown in the table. Superscripts (a,b) are used to denote whether differences over time are statistically significant
(p < .05). Items with different superscripts differ significantly.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   29
The main change in TV viewing since 2015 is that there has been
a pretty large drop in the amount of time either tweens or teens FIGURE 3. T
 V and online videos: Percent who enjoy viewing
spend watching TV on a TV set. Tweens average 25 fewer “a lot,” by age, 2015 vs. 2019

minutes in front of a television set today than they did in 2015,

TWEENS TEENS
and teens average 24 fewer minutes. In the case of tweens, this
decline in TV viewing has been made up for by an increase in time 67%
spent watching online videos, such as content on YouTube or 61%
58%
Twitch (see “Online Videos” section on pages 33–34). Teens have
increased the time they spend watching online videos as well (by 50%
46%
:24 a day), but they also now spend more time watching TV 45% 45%

shows through their smartphones and other devices (an increase

of :16 a day on average; see Table 7, previous page). The majority 33%

of tweens and teens still watch TV every day (63% of tweens and
57% of teens), but their enjoyment of TV seems to be declining.
Among tweens, the percent who say they enjoy watching TV
“a lot” has dropped from 61% to 50% and, among teens, from
45% to 33% over the past four years (see Figure 3). By compari-
TV Online videos TV Online videos
son, young people are far more likely to say they enjoy watching
online videos “a lot” (67% of tweens and 58% of teens). ◼ 2015 ◼ 2019 ◼ 2015 ◼ 2019

FIGURE 4. M
 ode of television viewing among teens,
The other big change in TV 2015 vs. 2019

watching is that even among

48%

shows watched on a TV set, 40%

36%
most viewing is now time- 33%*

shifted. Today teens average 19%

24%

just 25 minutes a day watching

shows as they air, down from 2015 2019

54 minutes a day in 2015. Percent of total viewing that occurs …

◼ Live on a TV set ◼ Time-shifted on a TV set ◼ On other devices

*Finding differs from what was published in the 2015 report, which inadvertently
excluded on demand viewing.

The other big change in TV watching is that even among shows

watched on a TV set, most viewing is now time-shifted (see
TABLE 8. Subscription streaming services, 2019
Figure 4). Today teens average 42 minutes a day watching time-
shifted programming on a TV set (such as through a DVR, on 8- to 18-year-olds in homes with subscriptions to …
demand, or a subscription service like Netflix), 38 minutes watch- Netflix 64%
ing TV on other devices, and just 25 minutes watching programming Amazon Prime Video 44%
on a TV set as it is aired (down from :54 a day on average in 2015).
Hulu 22%
As seen in Table 8, a total of 71% of 8- to 18-year-olds live in a
Other 6%
home with some type of video subscription service, such as Netflix
Any 71%
(64%), Amazon Prime Video (44%), or Hulu (22%).

30 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
TABLE 9. Television: Enjoyment, frequency, and time spent, by demographic, 2019

Gender Race/Ethnicity Family income

Hispanic/
Among 8- to 18-year-olds … Boys Girls White Black Latino Lower Middle Higher

Enjoyment: Percent who enjoy watching “a lot” 38%a 43%b 40%a 48%b 37%a 39% 41% 41%

Frequency: Percent who watch “every day” 59% 61% 58%a 72%b 62%a 66%a 65%a 52%b

Time spent: Average daily time spent watching

‹‹ Among those who watch 2:23 2:22 2:11a 3:07b 2:27a 2:56a 2:21b 2:05c
‹‹ Among all 1:32 1:37 1:24 a 2:04b 1:43c 1:55a 1:36 1:23c

Watching TV is broadly popular across age group, gender, family internet to download or stream content, while less than half (46%)
income, and race and ethnicity, with majorities saying they do it of lower-income households do. In fact, children in lower-income
“every day” (see Table 9) and with young people devoting more homes are less likely to have a TV set at all: Seventy-eight percent
time to watching television programming, in some form or do, compared to 93% of young people in higher-income homes.
another, than to any other media activity besides listening to
music (see Tables A and B, starting on page 11). And yet, it still
isn’t enjoyed by as many young people as might be expected. For
example, tweens watch TV “every day” more than any other Teens devote an average of an
activity, but TV ranks fifth in terms of enjoyment in this age group
hour and 45 minutes a day to
(see Tables C and D, page 17). Teens devote an average of an hour
and 45 minutes a day to watching television content (see watching television content, but
Table 7), but only 33% say they enjoy it “a lot” (compared, for
example, to 74% for listening to music or 58% for watching online only 33% say they enjoy it “a lot.”
videos, as seen in Table D).

As seen in Table 9, African American young people are more likely

than their White or Hispanic/Latino peers to be daily TV watch- TABLE 10. T
 elevision devices and services in the home,
ers (72% vs. 58% for Whites and 62% for Hispanics/Latinos), among all and by income, 2019
averaging about 40 minutes more a day than Whites and about Parents of 8- to Family income
21 minutes a day more than Hispanics/Latinos (2:04 vs. 1:24 for 18-year-olds with …
in the home All Lower Middle Higher
Whites and 1:43 for Hispanics/Latinos). Children in higher-income
a b
homes spend less time watching TV than other young people do, TV set* 87% 78% 86% 93%c
averaging under an hour and a half (1:23) compared to almost two Subscription 72% 58%a 73%b 79%c
hours (1:55) among young people in lower-income homes. streaming service
Smart TV 58% 46%a 57%b 67%c
Interestingly, a divide has opened up between higher- and lower-
Cable 41% 37%a 40%b 45%b
income families with regard to TV. About eight in 10 young
people (79%) in higher-income homes have access to a subscrip- DVR 37% 23%a 32%b 49%c

tion service for television and movie content, compared to just HD antenna 21% 20% 20% 22%
over half (58%) of young people in lower-income homes (see Satellite 21% 21% 20% 21%
Table 10). More than two-thirds of young people in higher-income
*All questions were asked of parents except for TV set, which was asked of
homes have a smart TV in the home, capable of connecting to the young people.

TABLES 9 AND 10:

Note: “Lower” income is <$35,000; “middle” is $35,000–99,999; and “higher” is $100,000 or more. Superscripts (a,b,c) are used to denote whether differences between
demographic groups are statistically significant (p < .05). Items with different superscripts differ significantly.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   31
32 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 ONLINE VIDEOS

ONE OF THE BIGGEST changes in young people’s media habits Many young people watch videos to learn more about something
over the past four years has been the increase in time spent they’re personally interested in. Nearly two-thirds of tweens and
watching online videos on sites such as YouTube. Today both teens (65% and 63%, respectively) watch videos about how to
tweens and teens devote nearly an hour a day to watching such make, build, or do something they are interested in (see Table 11).
videos (:56 among tweens and :59 among teens; see Table 11).
For tweens, this is more than double what they reported in 2015
(:25), and for teens it’s an increase of 24 minutes a day. The
percent who say they watch online videos “every day” has more
than doubled among both tweens and teens (from 24% to 56%
among tweens and from 34% to 69% among teens). In 2015,
teens were far more likely to say they watched TV or used social Watching online videos has
media “every day” than to say they watched online videos that
often; now, online videos are more likely than either TV or social become so popular among
media to be a daily activity for teens (see Table C, page 17).
tweens that it is now the media
Watching online videos has become so popular among tweens
that it is now the media activity they enjoy the most, with 67% activity they enjoy the most …
saying they enjoy it “a lot”; four years ago, it ranked fifth in enjoy-
four years ago, it ranked fifth
ment among tweens, after TV, music, video games, and mobile
games (see Table D, page 17). In fact, even among teenagers, in enjoyment.
watching online videos now comes second in enjoyment, only
topped by listening to music; among 13- to 18-year-olds, video
watching beats out video games, TV, and even social media by
quite a bit (58% enjoy watching online videos “a lot,” compared
to 43% for video games, 41% for social media, and 33% for
watching TV).

TABLE 11. Online videos: Enjoyment, frequency, and time spent, by age, 2015 vs. 2019

Among 8- to 12-year-olds Among 13- to 18-year-olds

2015 2019 2015 2019

Enjoyment: Percent who say they enjoy watching online videos “a lot” 46%a 67%b 45%a 58%b

Frequency: Percent who watch online videos “every day” 24%a 56%b 34%a 69%b

Time spent: Average daily time spent watching online videos

‹‹ Among those who watch 1:12a 1:44b 1:18a 1:37b
‹‹ Among all :25a :56b :35a :59b

Types watched: Percent who “often” or “sometimes” watch videos 50%a 65%b 47%a 63%b
about how to build, make, or do something they are interested in

Note: Superscripts (a,b) are used to denote whether differences over time are statistically significant (p < .05). Items with different superscripts differ significantly.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   33
YouTube clearly dominates the online video space. Despite the
fact that YouTube’s official policy is that it is for children age 13 TABLE 12. O
 nline video or subscription platforms watched,
or older, 76% of tweens say they use the site, and more than half tweens vs. teens, 2019

(53%) say it’s the site they use most often (see Table 12). By Ever watch Watch “the most”
Percent who
comparison, only about one in four 8- to 12-year-olds (23%) watch ... Tweens Teens Tweens Teens
say they watch YouTube Kids, and just 7% say YouTube Kids is a b a
YouTube 76% 88% 53% 59%b
the site they watch the most. Teens are even more likely to watch
YouTube Kids 23%a 4%b 7%a 1%b
videos on YouTube: Eighty-eight percent do so, and 59% say
YouTube is the site they watch the most. (The survey asked about Netflix 71% 73% 27% 31%

viewing on YouTube, YouTube Kids, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video 28% 28% 3% 2%
Hulu, Twitch, and “other” sites.) Hulu 18% 22% 2% 3%
a b a
While watching online videos is popular across age, gender, Twitch 3% 8% * 1%b

income level, and racial and ethnic group, there is some variation. Other video sites 8%a 11%b 1% 1%
As seen in Table 13, boys enjoy watching online videos more than Notes: Superscripts (a,b) are used to denote whether differences between age
girls (67% vs. 56%) and are more likely to watch “every day” groups are statistically significant (p < .05). Items with different superscripts
differ significantly.
(66% vs. 60%). On average, they spend about 10 minutes more
per day than girls watching videos (1:03 vs. :52), and they are
slightly more likely than girls to say they “often” or “sometimes”
watch videos about how to build, make, or do something they are YouTube clearly dominates
interested in (67% vs. 61%). In addition, African American and
Hispanic/Latino young people are more likely than their White the online video space ... 76%
peers to say they enjoy watching online videos “a lot” (71% and
65%, respectively, compared to 57% among Whites) and to
of tweens say they use the site,
watch “every day” (69% and 67% respectively, vs. 60% of and more than half say it’s the
Whites). Black, Hispanic/Latino, and young people in lower-
income homes also spend about 12 to 16 minutes more a day video site they use most often.
watching videos than other young people their age.

TABLE 13. Online videos: Enjoyment, frequency, time spent, and types watched, by demographic, 2019

Gender Race/Ethnicity Family income

Hispanic/
Among 8- to 18-year-olds … Boys Girls White Black Latino Lower Middle Higher

Enjoyment: Percent who enjoy watching “a lot” 67%a 56%b 57%a 71%b 65%b 65% 63% 59%
a b a b b
Frequency: Percent who watch “every day” 66% 60% 60% 69% 67% 67% 64% 60%

Time spent: Average daily time spent watching, 1:03a :52b :53a 1:05 1:06b 1:06a 1:01a :50b
among all
Types watched: Percent who “often” or 67%a 61%b 63% 68% 61% 65% 61% 65%
“sometimes” watch videos about how to build,
make, or do something they are interested in

Notes: “Lower” income is <$35,000; “middle” is $35,000–99,999; and “higher” is $100,000 or more. Superscripts (a,b,) are used to denote whether differences
between demographic groups are statistically significant (p < .05). Items with different superscripts differ significantly. Items that do not have a superscript, or that share
a common superscript, do not differ significantly.

34 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 GAMING

DIGITAL GAMING CONTINUES TO be one of the most popular watching as well (see Table D, page 17). Just under half of all
media activities among both tweens and teens. For purposes of young people say they play mobile games “every day” (46% of
this report, “video gaming” refers to console gaming on hand- both tweens and teens), and about one in four say they play
held and box platforms (i.e., games played on a gaming-centered console video games “every day” (24% of tweens and 27% of
device such as a PlayStation, Xbox, Wii, Switch, Game Boy, or teens). Computer gaming attracts a smaller group of devotees:
Nintendo DS); “mobile gaming” refers to casual games played on Fifteen percent of tweens and 17% of teens play on a daily basis.
a smartphone or tablet; and “computer gaming” refers to games
On average, both tweens and teens spend about an hour and
such as World of Warcraft played on a computer. Video, mobile,
a half per day gaming (1:28 and 1:36, respectively; see Table
and computer gaming together account for nearly a third (31%)
14). Console gaming captures the largest amount of young
of all screen time among tweens and 22% of all screen time
people’s gaming time (:44 among tweens and :50 among teens)
among teens. More tweens and teens say they enjoy playing
and computer gaming the least (:11 among tweens and :19
console video games “a lot” than those who say the same about
among teens).
watching TV, and among tweens, mobile gaming beats TV

TABLE 14. Digital gaming: Enjoyment, frequency, and time spent, by age, 2015 vs. 2019

Among 8- to 12-year-olds Among 13- to 18-year-olds

2015 2019 2015 2019

Enjoyment: Percent who enjoy each type of gaming “a lot”

‹‹ Video (console) 52% 52% 42% 43%
‹‹ Mobile 51% 55% 27% 30%
‹‹ Computer 39% 37% 26% 27%

Frequency: Percent who engage in each type of gaming “every day”

‹‹ Video (console)* 16%a 24%b 17%a 27%b
‹‹ Mobile 27%a 46%b 27%a 46%b
‹‹ Computer 14% 15% 17% 17%

Time spent: Average daily time spent gaming (among all) 1:19 1:28 1:21a 1:36b
‹‹ Video (console)* :35 :44 :37a :50b
‹‹ Mobile :33 :34 :25 :27
‹‹ Computer :11 :11 :19 :19

*In 2015 respondents were asked separate questions about console and hand-held video game playing (e.g., Switch, Game Boy, Nintendo DS). The data presented for
2015 represents the proportion who play either type of game “every day,” and the time spent playing is a sum of time spent playing on console and hand-held players. In
2019 the two types of gaming were combined into one question, and the term “console” is used to refer to both types.
Note: Superscripts (a,b) are used to denote whether differences over time are statistically significant (p < .05). Items with different superscripts differ significantly.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   35
The amount of time young people spend gaming has crept up
somewhat over the past four years: nine minutes a day on
average among tweens (not statistically significant) and about 15 These averages obscure one
minutes a day among teens (significant). The increase comes
from console video gaming rather than mobile or computer
crucial thing about gaming:
gaming. Computer gaming has always been more of a niche that there continues to be a
activity, so the lack of change is perhaps not surprising. But it’s
somewhat surprising that the time spent playing mobile games huge gender gap in all types
hasn’t increased since 2015. The proportion of young people who
say they play mobile games “every day” has increased substan- of gaming.
tially (from 27% to 46% in both age groups), but the total time
respondents report playing has not.

However, these statistics all obscure one crucial thing about

gaming: that there continues to be a huge gender gap in all types FIGURE 5. D
 igital gaming: Percent of teen boys who play for…
of gaming. Gaming is far more popular among boys and far less per day, 2019
popular among girls than the averages reveal (see Table 15,
page 37). The biggest difference is in console video gaming:
Forty-one percent of all boys say they play video games “every
17%
day,” compared to just 9% of girls. There are girls who enjoy 26%
gaming a lot, ranging from 20% for computer games up to 35%
◼ None
for mobile games, but they seem to play them far less often than 24%
◼ 1 hour or less
boys do. All told, 41% of teen boys spend more than two hours a 15%
◼ 1–2 hours*
day playing digital games (see Figure 5). 17% ◼ 2–4 hours†

Video gaming is enjoyed by young people across racial and ethnic ◼ More than 4 hours

groups and in households of different income levels (see

Table 15). But it is engaged in more frequently by young people in *Includes from 1:01 up to and including 2 hours.
†
Includes from 2:01 up to and including 4 hours.
lower-income households (34% say they play console games
Note: Includes computer, mobile, and console video games.
daily, compared to 20% of those in higher-income homes) and by
African American and Hispanic/Latino young people (31% and
29% say they play “every day,” respectively, compared to 23% of
Whites). On average, young people from lower-income homes
devote a little more than an hour a day to playing console games
(1:07) and just over two hours on all types of gaming combined
(2:02), compared to 37 minutes of console video game playing
and a total of 1:17 for all types of gaming among children in higher-
income households.

36 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
TABLE 15. Digital gaming: Enjoyment, frequency, and time spent, by demographic, 2019

Gender Race/Ethnicity Family income

Hispanic/
Among 8- to 18-year-olds … Boys Girls White Black Latino Lower Middle Higher

Enjoyment: Percent who enjoy each type of

gaming “a lot”
‹‹ Video (console) 70%a 23%b 46% 48% 47% 46% 46% 49%
‹‹ Mobile 48% a
35% b
38% a
49% b
43% 46% a
41% 39%b
‹‹ Computer 42%a 20%b 31% 34%a 27%b 29% 29%a 35%b

Frequency: Percent who engage in each type of

gaming “every day”
‹‹ Video (console)* 41%a 9%b 23%a 31%b 29%b 34%a 26%b 20%c
‹‹ Mobile 52%a 40%b 43%a 53%b 50%b 49% 46% 44%
‹‹ Computer 22%a 11%b 16%a 22%b 15%a 16% 16% 18%

Time spent: Average daily time spent gaming,

among all
‹‹ Video (console)* 1:19a :14b :45 :53 :55 1:07a :46b :37 c
‹‹ Mobile :35a :26b :28a :35 :36b :46a :31b :21c
‹‹ Computer :23a :07b :17 :11 :12 :10a :15 :20b

Total gaming 2:17a :47b 1:30 1:39 1:43 2:02a 1:32b 1:17c

*In 2015 respondents were asked separate questions about console and hand-held video game playing (e.g., Switch, Game Boy, Nintendo DS). The data presented for
2015 represents the proportion who play either type of game “every day,” and the time spent playing is a sum of time spent playing on console and hand-held players. In
2019 the two types of gaming were combined into one question, and the term “console” is used to refer to both types.
Notes: “Lower” income is <$35,000; “middle” is $35,000–99,999; and “higher” is $100,000 or more. Superscripts (a,b,c) are used to denote whether differences
between demographic groups are statistically significant (p < .05). Items with different superscripts differ significantly. Items that do not have a superscript, or that share
a common superscript, do not differ significantly.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   37
38 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 SOCIAL MEDIA AND TEXTING

ONE OF THE INTERESTING findings in this wave of the survey Clearly some young people start
is that the amount of time young people devote to social media—
such as Snapchat, Instagram, or Facebook—appears to have using social media at early
stabilized. The average amount of time 13- to 18-year-olds spend
using social media each day has remained nearly exactly the
ages, but its use does not
same: 1:11 a day in 2015, and 1:10 a day in 2019 (see Table 16). On appear to have expanded
the other hand, the frequency of social media use has increased:
The percent of teens who say they use it “every day” has grown among the younger age group
from 45% in 2015 to 63% in 2019. The proportion of teens who
say they enjoy using social media “a lot” has nudged up a bit, from in recent years.
36% of teens who said they enjoyed using it “a lot” in 2015, to
41% who say the same today (a difference that is not statistically
significant).

Clearly some young people start using social media at early ages,
but its use does not appear to have expanded among the younger TABLE 17. S
 ocial media: Age of first use among 16- to 18-
age group in recent years. In 2015, 10% of tweens said they used year-olds who use it, 2019

it “every day,” and 64% said they “never” used it (see Table 16). Percent who started using social media at …
In 2019, 13% say they use it “every day,” and 68% say they ‹‹ Under 13 years old 28%
“never” do. The average amount of time spent using social media
‹‹ 13 to 14 years old 43%
among all tweens is 10 minutes a day, down from 16 minutes a
‹‹ 15 to 18 years old 30%
day in 2015 (this change is not statistically significant). Among
Median age of first use 14 years old
16- to 18-year-olds who use social media, the median age of first
use is 14; twenty-eight percent say they started before age 13,
43% say 13 or 14 years old, and 30% say they didn’t start until
age 15 or older (see Table 17).

TABLE 16. Social media: Enjoyment, frequency, and time spent, by age, 2015 vs. 2019

Among 8- to 12-year-olds Among 13- to 18-year-olds

2015 2019 2015 2019

Enjoyment: Percent who enjoy social media “a lot” 13%a 8%b 36% 41%

Frequency: Percent who use social media ...

‹‹ Every day 10% 13% 45%a 63%b
‹‹ Never 64% 68% 16% 17%

Time spent: Average daily time spent using social media, among all :16 :10 1:11 1:10

Note: Superscripts (a,b) are used to denote whether differences over time are statistically significant (p < .05). Items with different superscripts differ significantly.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   39
TABLE 18. Social media: Enjoyment, frequency, and time spent among teens, by demographic, 2019

Gender Race/Ethnicity Family income

Hispanic/
Among 13- to 18-year-olds Boys Girls White Black Latino Lower Middle Higher

Enjoyment: Percent who enjoy it “a lot” 32%a 50%b 37%a 51%b 43% 37% 39% 45%

Frequency: Percent who use “every day” 56%a 70%b 62% 64% 63% 54%a 60%a 70%b

Time spent: Average daily time spent

‹‹ Among those who use 1:31a 2:17b 1:35a 2:15b 2:23b 2:23a 2:06 1:36b
‹‹ Among all :51a 1:30b :58a 1:18 1:27b 1:15 1:13 1:05

Notes: “Lower” income is <$35,000; “middle” is $35,000–99,999; and “higher” is $100,000 or more. Superscripts (a,b) are used to denote whether differences between
demographic groups are statistically significant (p < .05). Items with different superscripts differ significantly. Items that do not have a superscript, or that share a
common superscript, do not differ significantly.

As in the past, there continues to be a big difference between Texting. In this report, texting is not included in any estimates of
boys and girls in terms of enjoyment and use of social media (see the amount of time young people spend using screen devices.
Table 18). Among teens, half of all girls say they enjoy using social However, the survey does include data about the proportion of
media “a lot” compared to about a third (32%) of boys. Seventy young people who text in any given day and the number of texts
percent of teen girls say they use social media “every day” com- they send. Questions about texting were asked only of 13- to
pared to 56% of boys. Overall, teen boys average 51 minutes a 18-year-old respondents.
day on social media, compared to an hour and a half (1:30) among
Given the increase in the proportion of teens who have their own
teen girls.
smartphone, from 67% to 84%, it isn’t surprising that the
Hispanic/Latino and African American teens also seem to have percent of teens who text on any given day has also increased,
more enthusiasm for social media than their White peers, and to from 53% of all teens in 2015 to 78% in 2019 (see Table 19). But
spend more time using it. For example, 51% of African American interestingly, the average number of texts teens send per day has
teens say they enjoy using social media “a lot” compared to 37% dropped, perhaps due to the availability of other communication
of Whites their age; and White teens who do use social media tools such as Snapchat or direct messaging. Among texters,
spend less time doing so than either their African American or 40% send 10 or fewer texts, compared to 28% who sent that few
Hispanic/Latino peers (:40 fewer and :48 fewer, respectively). texts in 2015. The average number of texts sent per day among
When it comes to household income, teens in higher-income homes texters is 39, down from 55 per day in 2015.
are more likely to say they use social media “every day” (70% vs.
54% of teens in lower-income homes and 60% of teens in middle
income homes); there are no statistically significant differences
TABLE 19. T
 exting: Daily amount among teens, 2015 vs. 2019
by income in young people’s enjoyment of social media.
Among 13- to 18-year-olds … 2015 2019
On any given day, percent who text 53%a 78%b
Among texters, percent who send …
‹‹ 1–10 texts 28% 40%
Interestingly, the average ‹‹ 11–30 texts 35% 34%
‹‹ 31–50 texts 16% 12%
number of texts teens send
‹‹ 51+ texts 21% 14%
per day has dropped. Average number of texts sent daily, 55 a
39b
among those who text

Note: Superscripts (a,b) are used to denote whether differences over time are
statistically significant (p < .05). Items with different superscripts differ
significantly.

40 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES:
SMART SPEAKERS AND VIRTUAL REALITY
Smart speakers. One of the new devices in young people’s homes
in this wave of the survey is the so-called “smart speaker,” such TABLE 20. S
 mart speakers in the home, by age and household
as Amazon’s Echo or the Google Home. These devices can income, 2019

respond to verbal inquiries by playing music, sending emails, or Age Family income
answering factual questions, among other things. Although such Tweens Teens Lower Middle Higher
products only came onto the market a couple of years ago, about
31% 29% 14%a 25%b 43%c
three in 10 young people’s homes now have one (31% of tweens
and 29% of teens; see Table 20). Notes: “Lower” income is <$35,000; “middle” is $35,000–99,999; and
“higher” is $100,000 or more. Superscripts (a,b,c) are used to denote whether
differences between demographic groups are statistically significant (p < .05).
Forty-five percent of all young people say they have ever inter- Items with different superscripts differ significantly. Items that do not have a
acted with a smart speaker; among tweens, 17% say they ask superscript, or that share a common superscript, do not differ significantly.

questions or give commands to such a device “every day,” and a

total of 31% say they do so at least weekly (see Table 21). Among
teens, 13% interact with a smart speaker every day and 28% at TABLE 21. S
 mart speakers: Frequency of use, by age, 2019
least weekly. Young people from higher-income households are
Use a smart speaker … Tweens Teens
much more likely than those in lower-income families to have a
smart speaker in the home (43% vs. 14% of young people in Ever 45% 45%

lower-income homes. Daily 17% 13%

Weekly 14% 15%

Monthly 7% 7%
Seventeen percent of tweens
Less than monthly 8% 10%
say they interact with a smart
speaker device every day.

Virtual reality. Virtual reality (VR) headsets are touted by some Even those who have tried
as the next big thing in media and technology for young people.
The headsets immerse the user in a three-dimensional environ- VR don’t seem sold on it yet;
ment in which the user’s movements change the point of view
and the user can move through and in some cases interact with
in fact, many don’t like it
the “virtual” world. VR headsets are used for films (both docu- at all.
mentary and fictional) and for gaming. The primary application
among young people thus far has been gaming. Facebook bet big
on VR when it released the Oculus Rift headset in 2016; Sony has
released a VR headset for the PlayStation, and many others are
on the market as well.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   41
To date, one in four 8- to 18-year-olds (25%) have ever tried a
VR headset, and most of those who have, have done so only FIGURE 6. V
 irtual reality: Frequency of use among
infrequently (see Figure 6). Slightly more teens (27%) than 8- to 18-year olds, 2019

tweens (22%) have done so (see Table 22). Even those who have
3%
tried VR don’t seem sold on it yet; in fact, many don’t like it at all 4%
5%
(see Figure 7). Forty-three percent of tweens and half (50%) of
teens who have tried VR say they enjoy using it either “only a 13%
little” or “not at all.” Only 25% of tweens and 18% of teens who ◼ Daily
have tried VR (which represents just 6% of all tweens and 5% of 75% ◼ Weekly
all teens) enjoy using it “a lot.” By comparison, 52% of all tweens ◼ Monthly
and 43% of all teens say they enjoy playing video games “a lot” ◼ Less than monthly

(see Table D, page 17). ◼ Never

TABLE 22. V
 irtual reality: Frequency of use, by age, 2019 FIGURE 7. V
 irtual reality: Enjoyment level among
8- to 18-year-olds, 2019
Tweens Teens

Percent who have ever used virtual 22% 27% 5%

reality headsets 8%

Among those who have used virtual reality, percent who say 9%
they enjoyed it …
3% ◼ Enjoyed a lot
‹‹ A lot 25% 18% 75% ◼ Enjoyed somewhat

‹‹ Somewhat 31% 32% ◼ Enjoyed only a little

◼ Didn’t enjoy at all
‹‹ Only a little 38% 33% ◼ Never used

‹‹ Not at all 5% 17%

42 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 READING AND WRITING

Reading. The survey explored young people’s reading habits, But at the same time, 22% of tweens and nearly a third (32%) of
outside of reading done for school. We asked young people how teens say they read for pleasure less than once a month, if that
often they read “for your own enjoyment (not for school or home- (17% of teens say less than once a month, 15% never). The
work), such as books, ebooks, magazines, online articles,” as well average amount of time spent reading is about a half hour a day
as how much time they spent the previous day doing so. We also among both tweens and teens; this is almost exactly what was
explored how young people read: whether in print or online; in reported in 2015.
books or shorter formats such as articles or blogs; and on which
devices, such as smartphones, ebooks, or computers. And we
asked how much they enjoy reading.
Both the rate and the amount of
Nearly four in 10 tweens (38%) and one in four teens (24%) say
they enjoy reading “a lot,” roughly the same proportion who
reading among young people
report reading for pleasure “every day” (35% of tweens and 22% have been remarkably steady
of teens; see Table 23). Most tweens and teens read for their own
pleasure at least once a week (66% of tweens and 51% of teens). over the past four years.

TABLE 23. Reading for pleasure: Enjoyment, frequency, and time spent, by age, 2015 vs. 2019

Among 8- to 12-year-olds Among 13- to 18-year-olds

2015 2019 2015 2019

Enjoyment: Percent who say they enjoy reading “a lot” 41% 38% 30%a 24%b

Frequency: Percent who read … for pleasure

‹‹ Daily 27% 35% 19% 22%
‹‹ Weekly* 37% 31% 34% 29%
‹‹ Monthly †
16% 11% 19% 17%
‹‹ Less than monthly 8% 9% 12% 17%
‹‹ Never 12% 13% 16% 15%

Time spent: Average daily time spent reading … , among all :29 :29 :28 :29
‹‹ Print books :24 :21 :15 :12
‹‹ Ebooks ‡
:02 a
:05 b
:03 a
:08b
‹‹ Online§ :01 :01 :05 :07
‹‹ Magazines or newspapers :01 :02 :05 a
:02b

*Weekly figures from 2015 include “several times a week” and “once a week;” in 2019 these were combined into one option of “at least once a week.”
†Monthly figures from 2015 include “several times a month” and “once a month;” in 2019 these were combined into one option of “at least once a month.”
‡Includes reading books on an e-reader, a phone, or a tablet.
§Includes reading online articles, stories, poems, news, or blogs on a computer, tablet, or smartphone.
Note: Superscripts (a,b) are used to denote whether differences over time are statistically significant (p < .05). Items with different superscripts differ significantly.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   43
In sum, both the rate and the amount of reading among young There are some differences by age in terms of how young people
people have been remarkably steady over the past four years. read. Tweens devote more of their reading time to print books (21
Even the “platforms” young people read on haven’t changed: Time out of 29 minutes, compared to 12 out of 29 among teens), while
spent reading ebooks has nudged up by just a couple of minutes teens spend more time reading on their devices (15 out of 29
a day, in essence replacing a slight (but not statistically signifi- minutes, compared to six out of 29 minutes among tweens).
cant) decline in reading print books. But surprisingly, time spent
There are also some demographic differences in how much
reading online—reading blogs or articles on a smartphone or
young people enjoy reading, how often they do it, and how much
computer, for example—hasn’t budged over the past four years.
time they devote to it (see Table 24). The biggest differences are
by parent education, followed by gender: Children who have a
parent with a college degree are more likely to enjoy reading (71%
enjoy it “a lot” or “somewhat,” compared to 54% of those whose
parent has no more than a high school diploma); they are also
Surprisingly, time spent reading more likely to be daily readers (34% compared to 20%) and
spend about 11 more minutes per day reading, on average, than
online—such as reading blogs their peers whose parents have less education.

or articles on a smartphone— The differences between girls and boys are similar in scope:
Seventy percent of girls say they enjoy reading “a lot” or “some-
hasn’t budged. what,” compared to 55% of boys. Thirty percent of girls say they
read “every day,” compared to 25% of boys. And girls average
about six more minutes per day of reading than boys.

TABLE 24. Reading for pleasure: Enjoyment, frequency, and time spent, by demographic, 2019

Gender Race/Ethnicity Family income Parent education

Hispanic/ High Some College
Among 8- to 18-year-olds Boys Girls White Black Latino Lower Middle Higher school college degree

Enjoyment*: Percent who say they enjoy reading …

‹‹ A lot/somewhat 55%a 70%b 61% 64% 61% 56%a 61%a 68%b 54%a 58%a 71%b
‹‹ A lot 25%a 36%b 29% 34% 30% 25%a 31% 33%b 24%a 28%a 37%b
‹‹ Somewhat 30% 34% 32% 31% 31% 31% 30% 34% 30% 31% 34%
‹‹ Only a little/not at all 29% a
17% b
24% 24% 20% 22% 25% a
21% b
25% a
24% 20%b
‹‹ Only a little 23%a 14%b 19% 21% 16% 18% 21% 17% 20% 20% 17%
‹‹ Not at all 6% a
3% b
5% 4% 4% 4% 5% 4% 5% 4% 3%

Frequency: Percent who read for pleasure …

‹‹ Every day 25%a 30%b 28%a 28% 22%b 23%a 26%a 32%b 20%a 26%b 34%c
‹‹ Less than monthly 31% 24% 29% 23%a 30%b 33%a 28% 23%b 34%a 30%a 21%b

Time spent: Average daily time spent reading for pleasure …

‹‹ Among those who read 1:17 1:21 1:16a 1:38b 1:23 1:48a 1:15b 1:12b 1:22 1:27 1:15
‹‹ Among all :26 a
:32 b
:29 :35 :24 :33 :27 :28 :22 a
:30 :33b

*Doesn’t total 100% because it excludes those who say they “never” read.
Notes: “Lower” income is <$35,000; “middle” is $35,000–99,999; and “higher” is $100,000 or more. Superscripts (a,b,c) are used to denote whether differences
between demographic groups are statistically significant (p < .05). Items with different superscripts differ significantly. Items that do not have a superscript, or that share
a common superscript, do not differ significantly.

44 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
TABLE 25. Writing for pleasure: Enjoyment, frequency, and time spent, by age, 2015 vs. 2019

Among 8- to 12-year-olds Among 13- to 18-year-olds

2015 2019 2015 2019

Enjoyment: Percent who enjoy writing … 29% 34% 22% 27%

‹‹ A lot 13% 11% 9% 8%
‹‹ Somewhat 16% 23% 13% 19%

Frequency: Percent who write for pleasure … 34% 38% 28% 32%
‹‹ Often 8% 10% 7% 7%
‹‹ Sometimes 26% 28% 21% 24%

Time spent: Average daily time spent writing via digital devices, among all :01 * :04 :04

*Indicates less than 30 seconds, but more than 0.

Notes: Excludes writing done for school or homework. No differences over time are statistically significant.

Writing. The survey also tracks young people’s interest in writing,

such as stories, blogs, poems, or articles. Sometimes this writing TABLE 26. W
 riting for pleasure, by method, 2019
is done using digital devices such as computers, tablets, or smart- Among all 8- to 18-year-olds, on any given day,
phones, and other times it’s done by hand. About a third of percent who spend any time writing …
tweens (34%) and a quarter of teens (27%) say they enjoy ‹‹ By hand 5%
writing “somewhat” or “a lot” (see Table 25). Slightly more (38% ‹‹ On a computer 2%
of tweens and 32% of teens) say they “often” or “sometimes”
‹‹ On a smartphone 2%
write things for their own pleasure, such as stories, articles,
‹‹ On a tablet 1%
poems, or blogs. In both cases we see small upticks from 2015,
with young people about five percentage points more likely to say
they enjoy writing at least somewhat and four percentage points
more likely to say they do it for their own pleasure at least some-
times. Interestingly, those who do write for pleasure are as likely
to do so the old-fashioned way—with pencil or pen—as they are
to use their digital devices: In 2019, on any given day, 5% of all
8- to 18-year-olds say they wrote something for their own plea-
sure by hand, 2% on a computer, 2% on a smartphone, and 1%
on a tablet (see Table 26).

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   45
46 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 MUSIC

LISTENING TO MUSIC CONTINUES to be one of the most In sum, music is the most
popular media activities among both tweens and teens. Among
tweens, it is second only to watching online videos, with 55% enjoyed type of media activity
saying they enjoy music “a lot” (see Table D, page 17). Among
teens, music is the favorite activity: Nearly three out of four
among American teenagers,
(74%) say they enjoy listening “a lot,” far above the next most it is the thing they do most
popular activity (watching online videos, at 58%). Even such
seemingly popular activities as using social media or watching TV frequently, and they devote
don’t compare (41% of teens enjoy using social media “a lot,” and
33% enjoy watching TV that much). more time to it than to any
Among teens, 82% say they listen to music “every day,” again far other type of media.
higher than other media activities, such as watching online videos
(69%) or using social media (63%), the next closest activities in
terms of frequency (see Table C, page 17). Finally, teens spend
The amount of time tweens and teens devote to music each day
more time listening to music per day (2:05) than doing any other
hasn’t changed much since 2015 (see Table 27; for tweens, it’s
activity (unless watching TV and watching online videos are
down slightly and for teens up slightly, though neither change is
added together; see Table B, page 14). By comparison, they spend
statistically significant). On average, tweens spend about 43
about an hour and a half (1:36) on all types of gaming combined
minutes a day listening to music and teens just over two hours a
and an hour and 10 minutes a day, on average, using social media.
day (2:05). While the time they spend listening to music hasn’t
In sum, music is the most enjoyed type of media activity among
changed substantially, the way young people listen is certainly
American teenagers, it is the thing they do most frequently, and
evolving. Over the last four years, iPods have faded (from an
they devote more time to it than to any other type of media.

TABLE 27. Music: Enjoyment, frequency, and time spent, by age, 2015 vs. 2019

Among 8- to 12-year-olds Among 13- to 18-year-olds

2015 2019 2015 2019

Enjoyment: Percent who enjoy listening to music “a lot” 54% 55% 73% 74%

Frequency: Percent who listen to music “every day” 37%a 47%b 66%a 82%b

Time spent: Average daily time spent listening to music on … , among all :51 :43 1:54 2:05
‹‹ Smartphone :10 :12 :41 a
1:11b
‹‹ Radio :20 :16 :27 :24
‹‹ Computer :02 :02 :16 :12
‹‹ Smart speaker N/A :05 N/A :08
‹‹ Tablet :06 :06 :07 :06
‹‹ CD :04 N/A :05 N/A
‹‹ iPod/MP3 player :09 a
:02 b
:18 a
:04b

Notes: “N/A” indicates that the question was not asked in that year. Superscripts (a,b) are used to denote whether differences over time are statistically significant
(p < .05). Items with different superscripts differ significantly.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   47
average of :18 a day down to just four among teens); on the other
hand, teens are listening to music through their phones for 30 TABLE 28. D
 evices used to listen to music, among teens, 2019
more minutes each day than they were in 2015 (from :41 up to Among 13- to 18-year-olds who listened to music the previous
1:11). At this point, smart speakers only account for a tiny bit of day, percent who listened through …
young people’s music time (:05 a day among tweens and :08 Smartphone 75%
among teens). Perhaps surprisingly to some, teens still listen to Radio 32%
the radio, for an average of 24 minutes a day. Looked at another
Computer 11%
way, among all teens in this survey who listened to music the
Smart speaker 9%
previous day, 75% listened through a smartphone, 32% through
the radio, and 9% through a smart speaker (see Table 28). Tablet 6%
iPod 4%
Listening to music is equally popular across racial and ethnic
Other 6%
groups as well as among young people in lower- and higher-
income homes. But it is most popular among girls (see Table 29):
Seventy-three percent of all 8- to 18-year-old girls enjoy listening
to music “a lot” compared to 59% of boys, and 71% of girls say
TABLE 29. M
 usic: Enjoyment, frequency, and time spent, by
they listen “every day” compared to 62% of boys.
gender, 2015 vs. 2019

Among 8- to 18-year-olds … Boys Girls

Enjoyment: Percent who enjoy listening 59%a 73%b

to music “a lot”

Frequency: Percent who listen to music 62%a 71%b

“every day”

Time spent: Average daily time spent 1:21a 1:35b

listening to music, among all

Note: Superscripts (a,b) are used to denote whether differences between

groups are statistically significant (p < .05). Items with different superscripts
differ significantly.

48 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 CONTENT CREATION

ONE OF THE UNIQUE affordances of digital media over “tradi- devices); and some readers may feel that other activities such as
tional” screens such as television is that digital devices allow users posting to social media should be counted as content creation.
to create their own content. As noted above, not all “screen time”
The bottom line is that none of the content-creation activities
consists of watching TV or playing games; some teens are spend-
asked about in this survey are things that very many young people
ing time writing blogs, coding, building their own video games, or
enjoy “a lot” or do “often” (see Table 30). Even for the most
creating art or music on their computers, tablets, or smartphones.
popular of these activities—creating digital art or graphics
In order to try to quantify that type of screen activity, the survey
—no more than 6% of teens say they do this “often.” There has
included a series of questions about such content creation. Of
been no big change in young people’s use of technology for these
course, young people may engage in other types of content cre-
purposes since 2015. On average, tweens spend about seven
ation that were not asked about in this survey (which should be
minutes a day in content creation, and teens about 12 minutes.
captured in the time they spend doing “other” things on their

TABLE 30. Content creation: Enjoyment, frequency, and time spent, by age, 2015 vs. 2019

Among 8- to 12-year-olds Among 13- to 18-year-olds

2015 2019 2015 2019

Enjoyment: Percent who enjoy … “a lot”

‹‹ Creating digital art or graphics 11% 10% 7% 9%
‹‹ Making digital music 4% 4% 5% 5%
‹‹ Coding 4% 4% 3% 3%
‹‹ Creating or modifying games 5% 4% 3% a
6%b

Frequency: Percent who “often” spend time …

‹‹ Creating digital art or graphics 3%a 5%b 4%a 6%b
‹‹ Making digital music 2% 2% 4% 4%
‹‹ Coding 1% a
3% b
2% 2%
‹‹ Creating or modifying games 3% 3% 4% 4%

Time spent (in any given day):

‹‹ Creating digital art or music
‹‹ Percent who do 8% 10% 5%a 10%b
‹‹ Average time among those who do :55 1:14 1:23 1:18
‹‹ Average time among all :04 :07 :05 a
:08b
‹‹ Writing on digital devices
‹‹ Percent who do 2%a 1%b 4% 5%
‹‹ Average time among those who do # # 1:37 1:18
‹‹ Average time among all :01 * :04 :04

* Indicates more than 0 but less than one-half minute.

# Indicates sample size of users is too small (n < 50) for reliable results.
Note: Superscripts (a,b) are used to denote whether differences for that age group over time are statistically significant (p < .05). Different superscripts differ significantly.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   49
50 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

DESPITE THE PROGRESS MADE in addressing the digital

divide, there are still substantial inequities in even the most TABLE 31. Device ownership, among all and by family
basic measures, such as access to computers and mobile income, 2019

devices in the home. Children from higher-income homes are Family income
Percent of 8- to 18-year-
far more likely than their peers in lower-income homes to have olds who have … All Lower Middle Higher
a desktop or laptop computer at home or to have their own
Computers in the home
device such as a personal laptop or smartphone. But the differ-
‹‹ Desktop 52% 39%a 52%b 60%c
ences are noticeably smaller than they were just four years ago.
‹‹ Laptop 79% 65%a 80%b 86%c
Device ownership. Today 89% of 8- to 18-year-olds live in a home
‹‹ Either 89% 73%a 92%b 94%b
with at least one computer, but that ranges from 73% of those
in lower-income households to 94% of those in higher-income Mobile devices in the home
ones (see Table 31). Similarly, about a third (36%) of teens in ‹‹ Smartphone 91% 87%a 92%a 93%b
lower-income homes have their own laptop, compared to about ‹‹ Tablet 75% 63%a 74%b 83%c
half (54%) of their peers in higher-income homes. But laptop ‹‹ Either 95% 92%a 96% 97%b
ownership has grown among young people in lower-income
Personal device ownership
homes since 2015, so that the gap between higher- and lower-
income has fallen from a 37-percentage-point difference in 2015 ‹‹ Laptop (teens) 49% 36%a 52%b 54%b
to an 18-percentage-point difference in 2019 (see Table 32). ‹‹ Smartphone (teens) 84% 74%a 85%b 89%b
‹‹ Tablet (tweens) 52% 54% 47%a 56%b

TABLE 32. D
 evice ownership among 8- to 18-year-olds in lower-income families, 2015 vs. 2019

Percentage point difference between young

Among those in lower-income families people in lower- and higher- income families
Percent of 8- to 18-year-olds
who have … 2015 2019 2015 2019

Computers in the home

‹‹ Desktop 39% 39% –34 –21
‹‹ Laptop 54% a
65% b
–36 –21
‹‹ Either 68% 73% –28 –21

Mobile devices in the home

‹‹ Smartphone 65%a 87%b –28 –6
‹‹ Tablet 62% 63% –25 –20
‹‹ Either 79% a
92% b
–19 –5

Personal device ownership

‹‹ Laptop (teens) 25%a 36%b –37 –18
‹‹ Smartphone (teens) 51% a
74% b
–27 –15
‹‹ Tablet (tweens) 48% 54% –8 –2

Notes (Tables 31 and 32): “Lower” income is <$35,000; “middle” is $35,000–99,999; and “higher” is $100,000 or more. Superscripts (a,b,c) are used to denote whether
differences between groups or over time are statistically significant (p < .05). Items with different superscripts differ significantly. Items that do not have a superscript, or
that share a common superscript, do not differ significantly.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   51
Children in lower-income homes are also less likely to have their
own smartphone: Seventy-four percent of teens in lower-income FIGURE 8. F requency of computer use for homework,
homes have their own smartphone, compared to 89% of their among teens, by household income, 2019

peers in higher-income homes (see Table 31). Just four years ago,
only 51% of teens in lower-income homes had their own smart- 64%
59%
phone; the gap between kids in lower-income and higher-income
51%
homes has gone from 27 percentage points in 2015 to 15 percent-
age points today (see Table 32).

Use of computers and other devices for homework. Whether due to

differences in home computer access or for some other reason, 22%
16%
young people from lower-income homes are less likely than those
8%
from higher-income homes to use computers for homework.
One in five teens in lower-income homes (22%) say they use a Daily Monthly or less

computer for homework only once a month or less, compared to ◼ Lower income ◼ Middle income ◼ Higher income
8% of teens in higher-income homes (see Figure 8). As seen in
Table 33, young people from higher-income households spend
more time than their peers in lower-income homes using com-
puters for homework (:55 a day on average among higher-income
TABLE 33. U
 se of devices for homework, among teens,
teens, vs. :34 a day among lower-income teens), and those in by household income, 2019
lower-income homes spend more time using their phones for
Family income
homework (:21 a day vs. :12 a day).
Among 13- to 18-year-olds … Lower Middle Higher

Average amount of time spent 1:00 :49a 1:12b

using … for homework
‹‹ Computer :34 a :32a :55b
Teens from higher-income ‹‹ Smartphone :21a :09b :12b
‹‹ Tablet :05 :07 :05
homes spend more time using
FIGURE 8 AND TABLE 33:
computers for homework, while Notes: “Lower” income is <$35,000; “middle” is $35,000–99,999; and
“higher” is $100,000 or more. Superscripts (a,b) are used to denote whether
differences between groups are statistically significant (p < .05). Items with
those from lower-income homes different superscripts differ significantly.

spend more time doing

homework on a smartphone.

52 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 MEDIA AND HOMEWORK

WHILE THE BULK OF this report concerns the use of media for
entertainment, the survey included two sets of data related to TABLE 34. U
 se of computers for homework, by age,
homework: first, the extent to which young people use media 2015 vs. 2019

technologies to do homework, and second, how often they mul- Tweens Teens
Percent who use a computer
titask with entertainment media while doing their homework. for homework … 2015 2019 2015 2019
a b a
Using computers and mobile devices for homework. Both tweens Every day 11% 27% 29% 59%b
and teens frequently use computers for homework; as seen in Every week 32% 31% 44%a 26%b
Table 34, 27% of tweens do so on a daily basis, as do nearly six Every month 21%a 9%b 14%a 5%b
in 10 teens (59%). This is a substantial increase from just four
Less than monthly 16%a 11%b 5% 4%
years ago, when only 11% of tweens and 29% of teens said they
Never 21% 21% 7% 6%
used a computer for homework every day. By comparison, far
fewer young people use their mobile devices for homework, and
the proportion that does hasn’t budged since 2015: On any given
day, about one in five teens (20%) use a smartphone for some
TABLE 35. T
 ime spent using digital devices for homework,
purpose related to their homework, nearly identical to the propor-
by age, 2015 vs. 2019
tion that did so in 2015 (22%).
Tweens Teens
Average daily time spent
On average, teens spend an hour a day doing homework on com-
using … for homework 2015 2019 2015 2019
puters and mobile devices (:41 on computers and :19 on mobile a b a
Computer :08 :15 :29 :41b
devices; see Table 35). This is up 14 minutes from four years ago,
Smartphone :03 :03 :11 :13
with virtually all of the increase coming from additional time
spent using a computer for schoolwork (a 12-minute increase). In Tablet :04 :04 :06 :06
a b a
2015 we reported that “use of computers is commonplace (at Total :15 :22 :46 1:00b
least among teens), but use of mobile digital devices for home-
work (tablets, smartphones) is far less common.” This continues
to be the case.
TABLE 36. F requency of watching videos related to
One way some young people use computers and other devices schoolwork, by age, 2015 vs. 2019
for homework is by watching online videos related to their assign-
Tweens Teens
ments. For example, among teens, 21% “often” and 47% Percent who … watch videos
“sometimes” watch online videos for school (see Table 36). Use related to schoolwork 2015 2019 2015 2019
a b a
of videos for school has increased substantially over the past four Often/Sometimes 37% 52% 48% 69%b
years; in 2015, less than half (48%) of teens said they “often” or ‹‹ Often 5%a 12%b 10%a 21%b
“sometimes” watched videos related to their schoolwork; today ‹‹ Sometimes 31%a 40%b 37%a 47%b
more than two-thirds do (69%).
TABLES 34–36:
Notes: Superscripts (a,b) are used to denote whether differences over time are
statistically significant (p < .05). Items with different superscripts differ
Among teens, 21% “often” and significantly.

47% “sometimes” watch online

videos for school.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   53
Multitasking with media during homework. About half (47%) of all
teens say they “often” listen to music while doing their home- TABLE 37. M
 edia multitasking during homework, among
work, about one in four (24%) say they “often” text, and about teens, 2019

one in five say they “often” use social media (19%) or have the TV Listen Use
on (19%) while they’re doing homework (Table 37). The propor- Among 13- to Have to social
18-year-olds … TV on music Text media
tion of teens that multitask with media during homework has
remained virtually unchanged since 2015. Percent who engage in each activity while doing homework
‹‹ Often 19% 47% 24% 19%
In the survey, those who do multitask with media either “often”
or “sometimes” while doing homework were asked whether they ‹‹ Sometimes 26% 33% 38% 32%

think this practice mainly helps or hurts the quality of their work Among those who multitask with each activity during
(see Table 37). When it comes to having music on while working, homework, percent who say it mostly … their work
teens overwhelmingly think it helps: Sixty percent say it helps ‹‹ Helps 17% 60% 16% 13%
compared to just 6% who say it hurts and 34% who say it makes ‹‹ Hurts 24% 6% 25% 35%
no difference to the quality of their work. But those who use social
‹‹ Makes no difference to 59% 34% 58% 52%
media, text, or keep the TV on while doing homework are less
sure: A majority thinks such multitasking doesn’t affect the
quality of their work, but anywhere from a quarter to a third of
those who do it say they think it hurts their work (24% of those
who have the TV on, 25% of those who text, and 35% of those
who use social media while studying).

54 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 MEDIA MONITORING

IN RECENT YEARS, THERE has been an increasing number of There are some modest demographic differences in media moni-
tools available for consumers to track the amount of time they toring, with African American children reporting the highest
spend on their digital devices. In this wave of the survey, young levels of self- and parental monitoring, and children with higher-
people who have their own smartphone or tablet were asked educated parents also more likely to report monitoring. There
whether they use any kind of app or tool to help track how much were no differences by income.
time they spend on their devices and whether, as far as they
know, their parent uses any such tool to track their amount of
mobile screen time.
Half of all tweens and a quarter
Among those with their own mobile device, 15% of tweens and
12% of teens say they do use an app or tool to track their device of teens with a smartphone or
time (see Table 38). More than one in four tweens (28%) with
a phone or tablet say their parent uses such a tool to track the
tablet say their parent uses
child’s device time, as do 14% of teens. And fully half (50%) of
some type of app or other tool
all tweens and a quarter (26%) of teens say their parent uses
some type of app or other tool to monitor what they do on their to monitor what they do on
digital devices.
their digital devices.

TABLE 38. Self- or parental monitoring of digital device time or content, by demographic, 2019

Age Race/Ethnicity Parent education

Among 8- to 18-year-olds with their own Hispanic/ High Some College
mobile device, percent who say … Tween Teen White Black Latino school college degree
They use an app or other tool to track their 15% 12% 11%a 17%b 16%b 10%a 12%a 17%b
device time.
Their parent uses an app or other tool to track 28%a 14%b 17%a 28%b 20%a 16%a 19% 22%b
the child's device time.
Their parent uses an app or other tool to 50%a 26%b 34%a 48%b 33%a 30%a 37%b 38%b
monitor what the child does on the device.

Notes: Superscripts (a,b) are used to denote whether differences between demographic groups are statistically significant (p < .05). Items with different superscripts
differ significantly.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   55
56 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 SHOPPING ONLINE

IN THIS WAVE OF the survey, we explored how common online Eighty-six percent of teenagers say they ever shop or browse for
shopping is for young people, whether they’re browsing for prod- things they want to buy online (see Table 39); in fact, nearly half
ucts online, comparing prices or options, or actually making (47%) say they do so at least weekly. Even among 8- to 12-year-
online purchases. olds, about half (49%) say they have shopped online, and 16%
say they do so at least weekly. Girls are more likely than boys to
shop online, but the practice is common among boys as well
(39% of teen boys do it at least weekly, compared to 54% of teen
Nearly half (47%) of teens girls). Teens from higher-income households are more likely
than others their age to shop online: More than nine in 10 (93%)
say they shop online at least
have done so, compared to three-quarters (76%) of teens from
once a week. lower-income households. Forty percent of teens from lower-
income homes shop online at least once a week, while 52% of
teens from higher-income homes shop online that frequently.

TABLE 39. Frequency of online shopping, by demographic, 2019

Age Gender (among teens) Family income (among teens)

Percent who shop or browse for things
they want to buy online Tween Teen Boys Girls Lower Middle Higher
a b
Ever 49% 86% 82% 89% 76% 84% 93%c
‹‹ Daily 4%a 15%b 10%a 19%b 15% 15% 14%
‹‹ Weekly 12% a
32% b
29% 35% 25% a
30% a
38%b
‹‹ Monthly 14%a 21%b 23% 19% 20% 21% 21%
‹‹ Less than monthly 20% 18% 20% 16% 16% 18% 19%

Notes: “Lower” income is <$35,000; “middle” is $35,000–99,999; and “higher” is $100,000 or more. Superscripts (a,b,c) are used to denote whether differences
between demographic groups are statistically significant (p < .05). Items with different superscripts differ significantly.

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   57
58 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 CONCLUSION

THE DATA PRESENTED IN this report is a unique resource with they’re still watching TV and videos; their social media platforms
which to examine the broad national trends in young people’s may have changed from MySpace and Facebook to Instagram
use of entertainment media in the United States over the past and Snapchat, but they are still devoting about the same amount
four years. It offers critical insights that validate some popular of time each day to social media; the devices they use may well
assumptions and challenge others. be capable of allowing young people to produce and share their
own content, but only a small portion of their screen time is spent
For example, one popular assumption is that children from
doing so; and the time they spend in content creation is not
wealthier and more-educated families spend less time with
growing. The basic outlines of young people’s screen activities
screen media than other children do, and the data in this report
are clear and should be acknowledged as such.
validates that claim: In the tween and teen years, those in lower-
income homes or with parents with no more than a high school The importance of content and context in children’s media use is
diploma spend nearly two hours more than their peers with widely accepted, and some of the findings in this survey reinforce
screen media each day, on average. We can’t say from this report that message. The shift from television to online viewing docu-
whether that is a good or a bad thing; we can’t say why it is so; mented here has important implications for both content and
but we can validate that these differences exist and should be context. Online video viewing is a more individualized activity,
acknowledged and examined. with fewer opportunities for co-viewing with parents and other
family members. This has implications not just for the impact of
Another assumption many people make is that the digital divide
media on the child, but also for family time: It is much easier to
has closed, at least as far as access to devices such as computers
share a viewing experience on a larger, communal screen than it
in the home. But the tracking data presented here indicates that
is on a small, personal device. For those who worry that parents
although this divide is definitely closing, it hasn’t been eliminated
and their kids may be occupying the same physical space but not
yet. Among 8- to 18-year-olds, there is a 21-percentage-point
actually sharing the same experiences, this shift could be a
gap between those in lower- vs. higher-income families in access
concern. What is lost when shared media time goes away? And
to a home computer, and a 13-point gap in daily use of computers
how does the shift from watching TV shows with family members
for homework. Again, the progress in access should not be
to watching online videos by oneself affect the possible impact of
discounted, but policymakers and educators also need to
media messages on the child?
acknowledge and understand the continuing divide.
The shift to online viewing also has important implications for
There is also a growing assumption that screen “time” doesn’t
researchers interested in studying the specific content accessed
matter anymore, because of the wide variety of activities young
by tweens and teens. If tracking and evaluating the content young
people can engage in via screens. But the data presented here
people watched on television was difficult, doing so with online
allows us to understand how most young people are actually
videos is even more of a challenge. There is such a wide array of
using screens, and that data indicates that certain activities very
content to select from, both high and low quality, from celebrity
clearly dominate their screen use: watching video content
influencer videos to do-it-yourself maker videos to violent or
produced and served to them by others; playing games; and using
sexual content and everything in between. By documenting the
social media. Despite the new affordances and promises of digital
nature of young people’s screen activities and the amount of time
devices, how young people use screens hasn’t changed much at
devoted to those activities, this survey makes it clear that under-
all over the past four years; there’s just a slow increase in the
standing the content of their video exposure is more important
amount of time spent with screens and a shift from television to
than ever and will likely be even more challenging for researchers
online videos. The video content young people watch may not be
than ever before.
coming from the television broadcast networks anymore, but

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   59
Finally, we have all gotten used to a constantly accelerating pace
of change in young people’s media lives; but, for the first time, this
wave of the survey indicates that the pace of change in young
people’s media lives may have slowed. The survey has revealed
some interesting and important changes over the past four years:
increasing connectivity among tweens, rising screen media usage
among teens, an explosion in online video viewing at the expense
of television. But given the revolutionary pace at which young
people’s media environments have been changing over the past
20 years, it is also noteworthy that for the first time in quite a
while, the pace of change appears to have slowed.

Previous surveys have documented the introduction and rapid-

paced adoption of game-changing new devices (touchscreens,
tablets, smartphones) or activities (social media). But for the past
four years, there has been relative stability. There are new devices
such as smart speakers and smartwatches, and new activities
such as virtual reality, but none of them appears to be capturing
young people’s attention and time in a big way—at least for now.
Social media has clearly become part of the fabric of teenagers’
lives, yet the time they spend using it has remained virtually
unchanged since 2015. Mobile gaming has also remained steady.
How young people access TV shows has certainly changed, with
live TV down and subscription and other online viewing up, and
that may have important implications for young people’s com-
mercial exposure and, as discussed above, for co-viewing and
content choices. But in the big picture, it seems clear that after a
period of rapid and revolutionary change in the media landscape
of tweens and teens, we are now in the midst of a (perhaps tem-
porary) period of relative stability.

And that may give researchers, parents, and educators a chance

to catch up.

60 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 APPENDIX: QUESTIONNAIRE

Parent

P1. Which of the following, if any, do you have in your home?

(Randomize)

1 Cable TV
2 Satellite TV
3 A way to connect your TV to the Internet so you can stream shows or movies
(such as a “smart TV”, a Roku, or a FireStick)
4 An HD Antenna so you can watch TV networks over the air without cable
5 A digital video recorder (DVR) so you can record shows and watch them later
6 A subscription to a streaming service like Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu

BASE: IF P1=6 (has subscription service)

P2. Which of the following video subscription services do you have?
(Randomize)

1 Netflix
2 Amazon Prime
3 Hulu
4 Other subscription video streaming service [anchor]

P3. What type of internet service, if any, do you have at your home? Only think about internet service
other than the data plan you might have on a phone or mobile device.

1 No home internet service

2 High speed internet (cable, satellite, DSL, fiber optic, etc)
3 Dial-up telephone connection (connect computer or laptop to home phone line)
4 Other type of internet connection
5 Don’t know

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   61
Child

Q1. Which of the following items do you or someone else in your family have in your home?
(Randomize)

1 Television set
2 Tablet (such as iPad, Galaxy Tab, Microsoft Surface, Kindle Fire, or similar)
3 Smartphone (such as iPhone, Galaxy, or other phone that connects to the Internet)
4 Video game player (such as X-Box, Wii, Switch, or Playstation)
5 iPod Touch (can take pictures, play games, use apps)
6 e-reader (such as Kindle or Nook)
7 Desktop computer
8 Laptop computer
9 A voice-activated smart speaker (such as an Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod, or Google Home)
10 A Virtual Reality (VR) headset (such as Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard, or PlayStation VR)
11 None of the above

BASE: IF Q1=2 or 3 or 5 or 6 or 8
Q2. Which of the following items do YOU PERSONALLY have?
(Not one that belongs to someone else in your house.) (Hold order from Q1)

1 [IF Q1=2] Tablet

2 [IF Q1=3] Smartphone

3 [IF Q1=5]  iPod Touch (can take pictures, play games, use apps)
4 [IF Q1=6]  e-reader (such as Kindle or Nook)
5 [IF Q1=8]  Laptop

6 A smart watch (a watch that you can get texts on)

7 None of the above

BASE: IF Q1 NE 2 or 3 or 5 or 6 or 8
Q2A. Do you personally have a smart watch (a watch that you can get texts on)?

1 Yes
2 No

BASE: IF Q2=2 (have own smartphone)

Q3. How old were you when you got your first smartphone?

62 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Q4. How often do you do each of the following activities?
(Randomize; keep d, e, and f together and show in order f, e, d; keep g and h together).

Responses: Items:
1 Every day a Use a computer for homework (laptop or desktop) [anchor]
2 At least once a week b Use a computer for something other than school or homework (laptop or desktop)
[anchor]
3 At least once a month c Use social media (such as Snapchat, Instagram, or Facebook)
4 Less than once a month d Play computer games
5 Never e Play video games (such as on an X-Box, Switch, DS, Wii, or Playstation)
f Play mobile games (on a phone or tablet)
g Watch TV
h Watch videos online (such as on YouTube or Twitch)
i Listen to music
j Read for your own enjoyment (not for school or homework)
(such as books, e-books, magazines, online articles)
k Use a Virtual Reality headset
l Ask questions or give commands to a voice activated smart speaker
(such as Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod, or Google Home)
m Shop or browse for things you want to buy online

BASE: IF Q4c=1–4; if ever use social media

Q5. How old were you when you first starting using social media (such as Snapchat, Instagram, or Facebook)?

Q6. Which of the following do you use?

(Randomize; always keep item 1 before item 2)

1 YouTube
2 YouTube Kids
3 Twitch
4 Netflix
5 Amazon Prime Video
6 Hulu
7 Other video sites [anchor]
8 None of the above [anchor]

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   63
BASE: IF Q6=1–7
Q7. Which do you use the most? (Show in same order as Q6)

1 [IF Q6=1]  YouTube

2 [IF Q6=2]  YouTube Kids

3 [IF Q6=3]  Twitch

4 [IF Q6=4]  Netflix

5 [IF Q6=5]  Amazon Prime Video

6 [IF Q6=6]  Hulu

7 [IF Q6=7]  Other video sites

Q8. This next question is about what you did YESTERDAY. We want to know whether you did any of the following activities
yesterday. Which of the following activities, if any, did you do YESTERDAY?
(Randomize; always show items 1–4 first and keep together in a group)

1 [IF Q4b=1–4]  Use a computer for something other than school or homework
2 Use a tablet
3 Use a smartphone
4 Use an iPod Touch
5 [IF Q4e=1–4]  Play video games on a console or portable player (such as X-Box, Wii, Switch, DS, Playstation)
6 Watch DVDs
7 [IF Q4g=1–4]  Watch TV on a TV set
8 Go to the movies in a movie theater
9 Write something, such as a story, article, poem or blog (just for fun, not for school or homework)
10 None of the above [anchor]

BASE: IF Q8=9 (write something)

Q9. When you wrote a story, article, poem, blog, or similar item yesterday (not for school or homework),
what did you use to write it?

1 [IF Q8=1]  Computer

2 [IF Q8=2]  Tablet

3 [IF Q8=3]  Smartphone

4 Wrote it by hand
5 Other

BASE: IF Q4j=1–4
Q10. Did you spend any time reading for your own enjoyment yesterday, not for school or homework?
(Such as books, magazines, online articles, poems, newspapers or e-books)

1 Yes
2 No

64 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
BASE: IF Q10=1 (yes)
Q11. Which of the following did you read for your own enjoyment yesterday? Do not include anything you read
for school or homework.
(Randomize; keep items 1, 2, together in a group and always show in order 1, 2)

1 Print books
2 Electronic books, on an e-reader, tablet, or smartphone
3 Online articles, stories, poems, news, or blogs (on a computer, tablet, or smartphone)
4 Magazines (in print)
5 Newspapers (in print)

BASE: If Q4i= 1–4 (ever listen to music)

Q12. Did you listen to music yesterday?

1 Yes
2 No

BASE: IF Q12=1 (yes)

Q13. Which of the following ways did you listen to music yesterday: (Randomize)

1 [IF Q8=1]  On a computer

2 [IF Q8=2]  On a tablet
3 [IF Q8=3]  On a smartphone
4 On an iPod or other MP3 player
5 On the radio (including while riding in a car)
6 Through a voice-activated device such as Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod or Google Home
7 Other [anchor]

BASE: IF any items selected among the following: Q8=1, 2, 3, 4

Q14. Which of the following activities did you do for fun yesterday (not for school or homework)? Select all the devices on
which you did each activity. If you didn’t do an activity, select “Didn’t do.”
(Randomize and record response order; always show e and f together)

Responses: Items:
1 [IF Q8=1]  On a computer a [IF Q4C=1-4]  Use social media (such as SnapChat, Instagram, or Facebook)
2 [IF Q8=2]  On a tablet b [IF Q4D OR Q4F=1-4]  Play games
3 [IF Q8=3]  On a smart-phone c Browse websites
4 [IF Q8=4]  On an iPod Touch d Video chat (such as Skype or Face Time)
5 Didn’t do e [IF Q4H=1-4]  Watch videos online, such as on YouTube or Twitch
f Watch TV shows or movies online (such as on Hulu, Netflix, or Amazon Prime Video)
g Make your own art or music (such as painting, graphics, photo or video editing,
making digital music)
h [IF Q11=3]  Read online (such as articles, stories, news, or blogs)
i Anything else (don’t count texting, but do count anything else such as shopping,
email, coding, or using other apps) [anchor]

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   65
BASE: IF Q8=5, 6, 7 or Q13=4, 5, 6 or (Q10=1 and Q11=1, 2, 4, 5)
Q15. Now we’d like to know how much TIME you spent doing each activity YESTERDAY. Thinking JUST ABOUT YESTERDAY,
how much time did you spend doing each of the following:
(Randomize; prompt: “If you ​did not spend any time yesterday on the activities listed, please enter 0 in the number boxes;” hard prompt if
they enter more than 24 hours per item.)

a [IF Q8=7]  Watching TV on a TV set

b [IF Q8=6]  Watching DVDs
c [IF Q8=5]  Playing video games on a console or portable player (such as a Wii, X-Box, Twitch, DS, or Playstation)
d [IF Q13=4]  Listening to an iPod or other MP3 player (besides a phone or tablet)
e [IF Q13=5]  Listening to the radio
f [IF Q13=6]  Listening to music through a voice-activated device such as an Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod, or Google Home
g [IF Q11=1]  Reading books in print (for something other than school or homework)
h [IF Q11=2]  Reading e-books, on an e-reader, tablet, or phone (for something other than school or homework)
i [IF Q11=4]  Reading print magazines (for something other than school or homework)
j [IF Q11=5]  Reading print newspapers (for something other than school or homework)

BASE: IF Q8=1 and (any of Q14a to Q14i=1 or Q13=1 or Q9=1)

Q16. Still thinking just about what you did yesterday, how much time did you spend USING A COMPUTER for something other
than school or homework:
(Randomize; prompt: “If you ​did not spend any time yesterday on the activities listed, please enter 0 in the number boxes;” hard prompt if
they enter more than 24 hours per item.)

a [IF Q14 a = 1]  Using social media on a computer (such as SnapChat, Instagram, or Facebook)
b [IF Q14 b=1]  Playing computer games
c [IF Q14 c=1]  Browsing websites on a computer
d [IF Q14 d =1]  Video chatting on a computer (such as Skype or Face Time)
e [IF Q14e=1]  Watching videos on a computer, such as on YouTube or Twitch
f [IF Q14 f=1]  Watching TV shows or movies on a computer (such as on Hulu or Netflix)
g [IF Q13=1]  Listening to music on a computer (such as through Spotify, iTunes, or Amazon Music)
h [IF Q14 g =1]  Making your own art or music (such as painting, graphics, photo or video editing, making digital music)
i [IF Q14 h = 1]  Reading articles, stories, news, or blogs on a computer (not for school)
j [IF Q9=1]  Writing something on a computer like a story, diary, blog, poem, or article (not for school)
k [IF Q14_i=1]  Doing anything else on the computer (such as shopping, email, coding)

66 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
BASE: IF Q8=2 and (Q14a–i=2 or Q13=2 or Q9=2)
Q17. Continuing to think just about what you did yesterday, how much time did you spend using A TABLET for something other
than school or homework:
(Randomize; prompt: “If you did not spend any time yesterday on the activities listed, please enter 0 in the number boxes;” hard prompt if
they enter more than 24 hours per item.)

a [IF Q14 a = 2]  Using social media on a tablet (such as SnapChat, Instagram, or Facebook)
b [IF Q14 b=2]  Playing games on a tablet
c [IF Q14 c=2]  Browsing websites on a tablet
d [IF Q14 d =2]  Video chatting on a tablet (such as Skype or Face Time)
e [IF Q14e=2]  Watching videos on a tablet, such as on YouTube or Twitch
f [IF Q14f=2]  Watching TV shows or movies on a tablet (such as on Hulu or Netflix)
g [IF Q13=2]  Listening to music on a tablet (such as through Spotify, iTunes, or Amazon Music)
h [IF Q14g =2]  Making your own art or music on a tablet (such as painting, graphics, photo or video editing, making digital music)

i [IF Q14h = 2]  Reading articles, stories, news, or blogs on a tablet (not for school)
j [IF Q9=2]  Writing something on a tablet like a story, diary, blog, poem, or article (not for school)
k [IF Q14i=2]  Doing anything else on a tablet (such as shopping, using other apps, email, etc.)

BASE: IF Q8=4 and (Q14a-i=4)

Q18. Still thinking about yesterday, how much time did you spend using AN IPOD TOUCH:
(Randomize; prompt: “If you did not spend any time yesterday on the activities listed, please enter 0 in the number boxes;” hard prompt if
they enter more than 24 hours per item.)

a [IF Q14 a = 4]  Using social media on an iPod Touch (such as SnapChat, Instagram, or Facebook)
b [IF Q14 b=4]  Playing games on an iPod Touch
c [IF Q14 c=4]  Browsing websites on an iPod Touch
d [IF Q14 d =4]  Video chatting (such as on Skype or Face Time)
e [IF Q14e=4]  Watching videos, such as on YouTube or Twitch
f [IF Q14 f=4]  Watching TV shows or movies (such as on Hulu or Netflix)
g [IF Q14 g =4]  Making your own art or music (such as painting, graphics, photo or video editing, making digital music)
h [IF Q14 h = 4]  Reading articles, stories, news, or blogs (not for school)
i [IF Q14_i=4]  Doing anything else (such as using other apps, etc.)

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   67
BASE: IF Q8=3 and (Q14a-i=3 or Q13=3 or Q9=3)]
Q19. Finally, how much time did you spend using A SMARTPHONE yesterday:
(Randomize; prompt: “If you did not spend any time yesterday on the activities listed, please enter 0 in the number boxes;” hard prompt if
they enter more than 24 hours per item.)

a [IF Q14a = 3]  Using social media on a smartphone (such as SnapChat, Instagram, or Facebook)
b [IF Q14b=3]  Playing games on a smartphone
c [IF Q14c=3]  Browsing websites on a smartphone
d [IF Q14d =3]  Video chatting on a smartphone (such as Skype or Face Time)
e [IF Q14e=3]  Watching videos on a smartphone, such as on YouTube or Twitch
f [IF Q14f=3]  Watching TV shows or movies on a smartphone (such as on Hulu or Netflix)
g [IF Q13=3]  Listening to music on a smartphone (such as through Spotify, iTunes, or Amazon Music)
h [IF Q14g =3]  Making your own art or music (such as painting, graphics, photo or video editing, making digital music)
i [IF Q14h = 3]  Reading articles, stories, news, or blogs on a smartphone (not for school)
j [IF Q9=3]  Writing something on a smartphone like a story, diary, blog, poem, or article (not for school)
k [IF Q14i=3]  Doing
anything else on a smartphone (don’t count texting, but do count time spent on other activities such as
shopping, email, getting directions, or using other apps)

BASE: IF age 11- to 18 and Q15a>0 (Q15 provided a response, not missing and not refused)
Q20. You said you spent about [INSERT TIME FROM Q15a] watching TV or movies on a television set yesterday.
About how much of that time, if any, did you spend watching:
(Randomize; hard prompt if they enter more than 24 hours per item)

a Programs that were recorded earlier on a DVR

b Programs you watched through On Demand (on a cable or satellite system)
c Programs you watched on a TV through a subscription service such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu (not on a laptop,
computer, smartphone, or tablet)

Q21. Still thinking just about yesterday, about how many text messages, if any, did you send? Your best guess is fine. If you did
not send any text messages yesterday, please enter 0.

BASE: IF Q4a=1–4 or Q8=2 or Q8=3

Q22. Thinking just about yesterday, did you do any of the following? (Randomize)

1 [IF Q4a=1-4]  Use a computer for homework

2 [IF Q8 = 2]  Use a tablet for homework
3 [IF Q8=3]  Use a smartphone to do homework (for something other than texting or talking about homework)
4 None of the above [anchor]

BASE IF Q22=1–3
Q23. Thinking just about yesterday, how much TIME did you spend doing each activity?

a [IF Q22=1]  Using a computer for homework

b [IF Q22=2]  Using a tablet for homework
c [IF Q22=3]  Using a smartphone for homework

68 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Q24. How often, if ever, do you:

Responses: Items: (Randomize)

1 Often a [IF Q4A OR B = 1-4]  Write computer programs (code)
2 Sometimes b Create digital art or graphics on a computer, tablet, or smartphone
3 Hardly ever c Make digital music on a computer, tablet, or smartphone (don’t count times you just listen to music)
4 Never d Write things for your own pleasure, such as stories, articles, poems, or blogs
e [IF Q4H = 1-4]  Watch videos about how to do something you need to know for school
f [IF Q4H = 1-4]  Watch videos about how to make, build, or do something you are interested in
g [IF Q4D, E, OR F = 1-4]  Create or modify (“mod”) video or computer games

BASE: Q4c–i=1–4 OR Q24a–g=1–3

Q25. How much do you ENJOY doing each of the following activities?

Responses: Items: (Randomize)

1 A lot a [IF Q4j=1-4]  Reading

2 Somewhat b [IF Q4g=1-4]  Watching TV

3 Only a little c [IF Q4h=1-4]  Watching videos online (such as on YouTube or Twitch)
4 Not at all d [IF Q4c=1-4]  Using social media (such as SnapChat, Instagram, or Facebook)
e [IF Q4i=1-4]  Listening to music
f [IF Q4e=1-4]  Playing video games
g [IF Q4d=1-4]  Playing computer games
h [IF Q4f=1-4]  Playing mobile games (on a tablet or smartphone)
i [IF Q4K=1-4]  Using a VR headset
j [IF Q24a=1-3]  Writing computer programs (coding)
k [IF Q24c=1-3]  Making digital music on a computer, tablet, or smartphone
l [IF Q24d=1-3]  Writing things such as articles, stories, papers, or blogs
m [IF Q24g=1-3]  Creating or modifying (“modding”) games
n [IF Q24b=1-3]  Creating art or graphics on a computer, tablet or smartphone

Q26. When you do homework at home how often do you:

Responses: Items: (Randomize)

1 Often a [IF Q4g=1–4]  Have TV on while doing homework
2 Sometimes b [IF Q4c=1–4]  Use social media while doing homework
3 Hardly ever c [IF Q4i=1–4]  Listen to music while doing homework
4 Never d Text while doing homework
e Video chat with friends while doing homework

© 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019   69
BASE: IF Q26a, b,c, d, or e =1-2
Q27. Do you think doing these activities while you do your homework mainly helps, hurts, or doesn’t make a difference to the
quality of your work?

Responses: Items:
1 Helps a [IF Q26a=1 or 2]  Having the TV on while doing homework
2 Hurts b [IF qQ26b=1 or 2]  Using social media while doing homework
3 Doesn’t make a difference c [IF Qq26c=1 or 2]  Listening to music while doing homework
d [IF Q26d=1 or 2]  Texting while doing homework
e [IF Q26e=1 or 2]  Video chatting with friends while doing homework

BASE: IF Q2=1 or 2 (if have a tablet or smartphone)

Q28. Do you use an app or other tool to help track the time you spend on your smartphone or tablet?

1 Yes
2 No

BASE: IF Q2=1 or 2 (if have a tablet or smartphone)

Q29. As far as you know, do your parents use an app or other tool to:

Responses: Items:
1 Yes a Track how much time you spend on your phone or tablet
2 No b Monitor what you do on your digital devices

70 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY TWEENS AND TEENS, 2019 © 2019 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
About Common Sense
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the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and
independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century. Our independent research
is designed to provide parents, educators, health organizations, and policymakers
with reliable, independent data on children’s use of media and technology and the
impact it has on their physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development.
For more information, visit www.commonsense.org/research.

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