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‘Designed to be addictive’: Study finds teens spend more than an hour per day on phones at school
New research tied to the University of Washington School of Medicine adds to mounting concerns among educators about smartphone use in schools.
U.S. adolescents between the ages of 13–18 spend more than one hour per day on phones during school hours, with “addictive” social media apps accounting for the largest share of use, according to new research published in JAMA.
The findings add to the ongoing argument made by teachers, parents and policymakers that has led schools and districts around the country, including some in Seattle, to ban phones during school hours.
The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study tracked 640 teens whose parents consented to passive monitoring software on their Android smartphones from September 2022 to May 2024, according to UW Medicine.
- Adolescents spent an average of 1.16 hours per day on smartphones during school hours.
- Social media apps Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat accounted for most use, followed by YouTube and games.
- Older adolescents (16–18) and teens from lower-income households reported higher smartphone use than their peers.
“These apps are designed to be addictive,” said Dr. Dimitri Christakis, the paper’s senior author. “They deprive students of the opportunity to be fully engaged in class and to hone their social skills with classmates and teachers.”
Christakis is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine and practices at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Based on a national sample of students, the results build on findings published last year in JAMA Pediatrics. That study had fewer participants but also included iPhone users.
At least 32 states and the District of Columbia require school districts to ban or restrict students’ use of cell phones in schools. The effect of those policies “remains to be seen,” Christakis said.
“To date they’ve been very poorly enforced, if at all. I think the U.S. has to recognize the generational implications of depriving children of opportunities to learn in school,” he added.
A majority of school districts in Washington state planned to have policies in place at the start of the school year last fall to limit students’ use of cellphones and other devices such as smart watches.
Seattle Public Schools has not issued a district-wide policy, though at least three public middle schools in the district have banned phones at school, and at least one high school prohibits their use during classes.
The UW’s Youth Advisory Board, a group of approximately 20 teens from Seattle-area schools, recently published its first memo tackling the contentious issue of phones in school. The memo weighs the pros and cons of phone bans and offers recommendations on how schools should draft and communicate their policies.
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