THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS
MEDIA USE BY TWEENS + TEENS
This 2015 national survey details the media habits and
preferences of American 8- to 18-year-olds and shows just how
central a role media plays in the lives of Generation Z.
TWEENS
8 – 12 Years Old
TEENS
13 – 18 Years Old
AVERAGE DAILY MEDIA USE
Excluding time spent using media for school or for homework
TWEENS
6 hours
TEENS
9 hours
5:55 Total Hours
4:36 Hours of Screen Time
8:56 Total Hours
6:40 Hours of Screen Time
Multitasking: The New Normal
Many teens use media while
studying, and most think it has no
effect on the quality of their work.
While Doing Homework, Teens ...
50% use social media
51% watch TV
60% text
76% listen to music
MEDIA DIETS DIFFER DRAMATICALLY
From Gamers to Social Networkers, there are many distinct media profiles
among tweens and teens.
TWEENS
TEENS
23%
14%
Video
Gamers
Mobile
Gamers
15%
Social
Networkers
20%
11%
Readers
10%
27%
Heavy
Viewers
13%
Gamers/
Computer Users
Light
Users
10%
Social
Networkers
Readers
32%
26%
Light
Users
Heavy
Viewers
BOYS ARE FROM XBOX, GIRLS ARE FROM INSTAGRAM
Average daily time used for social media and gaming is strikingly different.
TWEENS
TEENS
Video
Games
43 mins.
12 mins.
56 mins.
Boys
6 mins.
26 mins.
Social
Media
Girls
7 mins.
52 mins.
1 hr. 32 mins.
Video
Games
Social
Media
SURPRISE ! TV AND MUSIC STILL DOMINATE
DAILY MEDIA DIET
Social Media = #meh
Teens spend on average
1:11 using social media,
but only 10% of teens
choose using social
media as their “favorite”
media-related activity.
Watch TV
Listen
to Music
Play
Mobile
Games
Read
Watch
Online
Videos
Use
Social
Media
TWEENS WHO DO ACTIVITY EVERY DAY.
TEENS WHO DO ACTIVITY EVERY DAY.
62% 37%
66% 58% 45% 34%
27% 27% 24% 10%
27%
19%
MEDIA CONSUMPTION IS HIGHLY MOBILE
Mobile devices account for nearly half (41%) of all screen time used among tweens
and 46% among teens.
TWEENS
TEENS
53%
37%
24%
67%
of Teens Have
Their Own Tablet
of Tweens Have
Their Own Tablet
of Tweens Have
Their Own
Smartphone
of Teens Have
Their Own
Smartphone
MANY MEDIA ACTIVITIES MAKE UP A MEDIA DIET
The time youth spend with digital devices includes many types of activities, from passive
consumption to interactive consumption to communication to content creation.
TWEENS
TEENS
41%
Listening to music,
watching videos,
Passive watching TV,
Consumption reading
37%
Interactive
Consumption
Playing games,
browsing
websites
3%
Creation
14%
Communication
Making digital
art, composing
music, writing,
programming
Using social media,
video chatting
39%
Listening to music,
watching videos,
Passive watching TV,
Consumption reading
25%
Interactive
Consumption
Playing games,
browsing
websites
26%
3%
Creation
Making digital
art, composing
music, writing,
programming
Using social media,
Communication video chatting
To see the complete report, visit www.commonsensemedia.org/census.
Source: Common Sense Media (2015). Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens. This infographic is based on a nationally representative survey of 2,658 8- to 18-year-olds.
The survey was conducted by GfK research company, using their probability-based online KnowledgePanel ©. The survey was offered in English or Spanish and was fielded from February 6–March 9, 2015.
Parental consent was obtained for all respondents. | © 2015 Common Sense Media. All rights reserved.