A new report about kids and their smartphone use is offering parents a warning: Children are inundated with hundreds of notifications on their phones all day and all night.
New research from Common Sense Media, a group that studies the impact of media and technology on kids, finds about half of 11- to 17-year-olds get at least 237 notifications on their phones every day.
About 25% of prompts pop up during the school day, and 5% show up at night. In some cases, teens get nearly 5,000 notifications in 24 hours. The majority of notifications are linked to alerts from friends on social media, according to the research.
"This report makes it abundantly clear that teens are struggling to manage their phone use, which is taking a serious toll on their ability to focus and overall mental health," James Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, said in a statement.
According to the study, smartphones are a constant companion that encourage regular pickups. The data revealed that teens check their phone an average of over 100 times per day, and many admit that it's hard to put their device down. Over two-thirds of 11- to 17-year-old participants said they "sometimes" or "often" find it difficult to stop using technology, and use it to get relief from negative feelings, according to the research.
In addition to constant updates, the study also found that smartphones both hurt and help teens' sleep. From never-ending TikTok scrolling to using YouTube as calming background noise, some teens' phones run almost all night long. Additionally, some teens said their days are so busy that they only get to relax with their phone at bedtime, but this leads to going to sleep much later on school nights, the study noted.
Some experts say such a highly stimulating environment may affect kids' cognitive ability, attention span and memory during a time when their brains are still developing.
The research indicates that many young people are growing savvier about their phone's attempts to draw them in and are taking steps to protect their digital wellbeing, like setting time limits and prioritizing certain types of notifications.
"But the business model of these apps and devices hinges upon young people picking up their phones and engaging with them as much as possible, and it's clear that teens are struggling to set boundaries," the study noted.
The research also suggests that phones and apps could do a better job of eliminating unnecessary notifications at times of day that are more disruptive to young people.
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