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Do Gen Z think they spend too much time on social media?
24 Nov 2020

Do Gen Z think they spend too much time on social media?

The subtitle goes here

Whilst it’s often limited to older generations, there is still a perception that young(er) people – in this contexts Millennials and Gen Z’s – are a d d i c t e d  to social media. They can’t get enough – waking up in the middle of the night to tweet, scrolling through instagram while the tele is on, (dare I say it) bringing a phone to the dinner table. 

Whilst there is not a doubt in our minds that people do spend more time on socials, but this has also come with a much broader consciousness and understanding about the effects of our social media use.

As the graph shows – an overwhelming majority (90.6%) of young people are at least conscious of the effect social media has on them. They take action on this worry to varying extents, but the majority have either assessed the threat, and think its no issue, or think they want to use socials less, and are taking action on it. 

Hover over each bar for the shorthand on their socials use.

Do Gen Z think they spend too much time on social media?

30.20% Nearly 1 in 3 young people have looked at how much time they're spending on socials and actively tried to take more breaks. Sometimes that means whole stints with a deactivated account, sometimes a no phone after 12am policy, sometimes just a wee 5 mins away from the feed. It all works and it all helps.
10.50% A small number, but a significant one nonetheless, seem to have set up SM breaktime before it became an issue. Perhaps this group were late to the gram, and had read about its threats, or perhaps young people are just much more clued up on the risks associated with our digital lives than we often imagine.
27.80% Gen Z aren't a monolith, and there is evidently a spectrum among the group in terms of use. These folks haven't worried about it too much, but are still conscious of the threat.
2.50% The smallest percentage of young people actively say they haven't thought about the issue - displaying quite how pervasive it is, and how conscious Gen Z generally are.
6.90% Perhaps the most concerning group for this question are the near 7% who say that they haven't worried about their social media use. This could be for a number a reasons: because they don't use platforms all that much or perhaps that they are not on socials at all. It could also highlight a group who are more susceptible to social media use, and as a result more likely to fall victim of its negative effects - like a greater sense of anxiety it causes for some people.
22.10% It's okay - you keep hangin' in there! A lot of young people, nearly a quarter, actively and openly admit that social media gets in the way of other aspects of their lives. BUT - and the but is real - they know it. They're increasingly understanding its impact, which is step towards taking control over their digital life and making socials work for them.

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