Teen Social Batteries Drain While Phones Charge

Time and attention are precious resources. Does social media optimize or hinder the way teens invest in their friendships?
Teen Social Batteries Drain While Phones Charge
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It’s common to see a group of teens together, focusing on their phones rather than engaging with each other, or a solitary teen sitting amid a crowd, hunched over and scrolling.

More than half of U.S. teens spend at least four hours a day on social media, according to a Gallup poll. That adds up to nearly three months each year. At this rate, a quarter of a lifetime could be spent scrolling.
Mari Otsu
Mari Otsu
Author
Mari Otsu holds a bachelor's in psychology and art history and a master's in humanities. She completed the classical draftsmanship and oil painting program at Grand Central Atelier. She has interned at Harvard University’s Gilbert Lab, New York University’s Trope Lab, the West Interpersonal Perception Lab—where she served as lab manager—and at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.