According to new data about media usage by Common Sense, preteens and teens whose families earn $35,000 a year or less spend nearly two more hours a day looking at screens than their peers whose families earn $100,000 or more.
Low-income teens aged 13-18 spent an average of 8.5 hours a day using tablets, smartphones, video games and other screen devices, while those in that income bracket aged 8-12 had an average of six hours of screen time a day. Meanwhile, higher income teens spent an average of six hours and 49 minutes looking at screens a day, and wealthy preteens spent four hours a day.
“We’re not really saying this is a bad thing or a good thing, but that this is a difference,” lead researcher Vicky Rideout told Vox. “It’s a difference we may want to look more closely at.”
“For lower-income users, screen media are highly affordable activities compared to so many other options in their lives that cost money,” she said. “Even public schools charge money to be on athletic teams. To some degree, you could say lower-income users are using media to compensate for lack of opportunities in other areas of life, whether that’s learning, connecting to others, accessing information, or for entertainment.”
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