Screen time: pros & cons

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Parents and teens just don't see eye to eye on the value of screen time when it comes to social media. No surprise here, but the good news for teens is a recent study from the Pew Research center shows that shows screentime can be a good thing...in moderation, of course.

Here are the specifics: teens turn to Instagram and TikTok for news, entertainment and keeping up with celebrities. They like Snapchat for direct messaging, posting and socializing.

Machelle Faverio, one of the report's lead authors, says overall, online onnections are teens most positive takeaways.

"A big thing that teens say that they get out of these sites is connection to other people. They find people who share interests in them. It's a space that they are able to express their creativity and stay connected to family and friends," Faverio says.

Roughly three-quarters of the teens surveyed agreed that online harassment and bullying are still prevalent.

"It's a family issue that parents are grappling with, and we found that overwhelmingly parents are having conversations with their teens about the teen social media use, so 85% of parents said that they've done this."

Most parents report social media sites hurt, rather than help their teen's sleep, productivity, and mental health. Parents are also more likely to say their teens spend too much time on the apps and in front of their screens. Most teens disagree. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/03/11/how-teens-and-parents-approach-screen-time/