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Parents Spend An Average Of 9 Hours On Their Screens, But Think They’re Good Role Models

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Most parents think and say that they are good role models for their kids, but the majority also admit that they are glued to the screens of their smartphones, laptops, tablets and televisions for more than nine hours a day, a survey finds.

Seven hours of that nine are spent on personal browsing, not work-related things, Common Sense Media reports. The survey, which focused on children’s use of media, surveyed over 1,700 parents.

Their results showed that parents of kids ages eight to 18 spent an average of nine hours, 22 minutes a day on their screens. Most of them spent an average of seven hours, 43 minutes on entertainment media, WCSH6 reports.

James Steyer, founder of Common Sense Media, said,

This is just a shocking study, in my opinion. I think it shows us that, just like our kids, American parents live in a 24/7 world of media and technology.

But the survey also found that 78% of these same parents said they were good role models when it came to media use. The more educated a parent was, the more likely they thought they showed their kids proper screen time use, the survey stated.

“So there’s a pretty big disconnect there. You could even say it’s a little hypocritical,” Steyer added. “How can you be a good role model for your kids if you yourself don’t find the appropriate balance in terms of media and tech use in your own life?”

In addition, the highest screen time use was found to be among black parents, who spent around 14 hours a day looking at screens. This was followed by Hispanic parents who used 12 hours a day, and white parents who were closer to the average 9 hours.

Steyer said, “The sheer volume of media and technology time is pretty shocking to me personally, even though I run the biggest kids’ media organization in the United States. It’s a wake-up call to every parent out there about how to role model this kind of behavior for our kids – how to set healthy balances.”

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