How much time do you spend online, America? [Waits for answer.] That’s funny because the average teenager spends a cool 31 hours per week online. And what does the average teen do? The usual, I guess you can say—instant message friends, surf YouTube, get homework help, view porn, etc. Just another day in Anytown, USA.
Make that Anytownshire, UK, for that’s where this data comes from. (A British research group (www.cybersentinel.co.uk) compiled the information.) It found that, on the whole, teens spend some 31 hours per week online, or, if we were to divide that evenly between the days of the week, that’s around 4.4 hours per day online. (We spend pretty much all day online at CrunchGear, from the time we wake up to the time we go to bed.)
The data breakdown isn’t exactly shocking, either: teens spend 3.5 hours a week instant messaging their friends, two hours on YouTube (two hours?), and three hours a week on homework help.
But the big number, the number that will no doubt be YELLED AT THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS ON ALWAYS SHOCKED ABOUT SOMETHING FOX NEWS about is the amount of time spent viewing porn. That number is one hour and forty minutes a week, on porn. That’s a heck of a lot of porn, if you consider that most porn-viewing sessions, one would think, is consumed in fits and spurts. That is, you’re not sitting there for 50 minutes at a clip watching porn, more like three-and-a-half minutes at a clip. Presumably.
Let’s see. at least 40 hrs a week at work. then another couple at home. Although I really don’t go on that much at home on account of staring at a computer screen for work.
Uh, yeah. That pales in comparison to my 15 hours PER DAY. I RULE. Oh wait. I may be a loser.
Yeah I’m somewhere up in the vicinity of 12 hours a day. Luckily my wife and college manage to keep me in shape!
Since when is sex a sport?
makes u a loser…. jk lol jk!
At least spending time online is better than passively watching TV.
If this is time spent away from TV, I would not mind. If this is time spent away from reading or family and friends, then it would be an issue.
Anjali Sen
Wow, that’s a lot…no wonder our teens are so out of shape as a group.
My thought too..two hours on YouTube?? It really isn’t that interesting of a site if your IQ is above 100 or so.
> no wonder our teens are so out of shape as a group
Please, give us a little mroe credit. I probably spend a lot more than 31 hrs/week online but I wouldn’t consider myself out of shape. Not buff mind you, but I don’t spend my time stuffing my face.
Out of the members of my college I wouldn’t think many of them were “out-of-shape” either. This may be different where you live (I live in a town in a rural-ish county, not exactly a city where these stereotypes seem to be based) but I wish people would stop throwing about stereotypes like this.
I no!
I spend wayyy more than 31 hours a week – but I’m still not ‘out of shape’ or at all unsociable, and always make sure that school work is mostly out of the way.
Kenneth
Hey Ross, good genes are no substitute to being actually healthy.
Not stuffing your face has nothing to do with it. You could be a skinny fat person and what I mean by that is you may “skinny” but you’re just as out of shape as a 300 pound person.
How many push-ups can you do? Pull-ups? How fast can you run a mile? If you do run how long does it take for your heart rate to return to normal?
Those are the true indicators of whether a person is in shape or not. A 350 pound NFL lineman is in MUCH better shape than the average person.
dude….youtube not interesting…are u kidding??
also 31 hrs may be right….but most kids do a lot of crap online….only a few are wikipedia addict :-)
http://www.livbit.com
are you joking? you’re an idiot.
The teen numbers are a very scary sign for the future of TV advertising. If teens spend that much time online, there’s not much time left for TV. When they join the workforce in a few years and start buying cars and houses, where will the ad spend go?
I like the way you think!
But anyways, 31hours is not surprising. But did anyone else click-through to the original article?
“Just over an hour is devoted to looking up cosmetic surgery procedures such as how to enlarge breasts and get collagen implants”
I find that disturbing. An average of one hour a week doing that??
Well, there’s a difference between time online for schoolwork, and time online for entertainment.
Besides, I don’t really see the difference between 31 hours on the internet, or 31 hours watching TV. I even think that the internet can be more productive.
I spend atleast 5 hours a day on the internet just for school. Seeing as I do an online shool program. I don’t think it is neccessarliy bad to be on the internet for 30 hours a week. What is bad is when people make it their lives. When people get so involved in games like Second Life or World of War Craft, that they foret about their lives. Their real lives. That is when thing get bad. When you don’t have a life and you have to make one online.
You get more information from the internet than tv, more entertainment. Hell, you can watch tv from the internet. There’s no need for ‘cable’/traditional tv.
I spend 40 hours a work week on the internet + another 35 a week after work + weekends, which…varies.
LOL @ is consumed in fits and spurts
Let’s see, I’m checking my emails before I even brush my teeth at 7:30, I’m off the computer like 2 hours for errands and food, and I go to bed around 1am, sometimes later watching movies on netflix, which could also be considered as being online…
So like over 120 hours a week in my case?
Hell I spend ~14 hours a day, 7 days a week for the last 3 years :/
Hmmm I wonder how a WoW addict would measure up to the “average” teen.
They must be lowballing it… in the US it’s gotta be higher
Watching porn > having sex
FOX news can suck it =P
I like the way you think!
But I think it’s crazy that people who don’t get the internet age want to scrutinize it and say that people are getting fat because they are consumed with using the internet, not realizing that they spend an equal amount of time watching tv or being lethargic in some other way. Using the internet is a much more productive and controlled use of my time, where I choose what I see without interruption. To do that with the tv you have to pay more money to avoid commercials LoL
Do you think teens really look at porn for 4 hours a day?!
Some people I know do – but it’s not all on the PC. Porn sites can be for mobile sites too! – Possible article for Mobile Crunch!
It’s 1 hr 40 min a week, which is about 14 min a day. Seems reasonable…
im 20 and i do easily 40+ hours. it was higher back in the teen days. damn WoW….
This “research group” is in fact a vendor of online filtering software with a vested interest in fooling mathematically impoverished reporters into jumping to incorrect conclusions, such as that the “average teenager” spends an hour a week “looking up cosmetic surgery procedures such as how to enlarge breasts and get collagen implants”… (Huh? Really?)
Yeah, this is hogwash. While I’m certain that teens spend way too much time online, reprinting this research is a little bit like anouncing that Philip Morris just released a study saying most Americans like the smell of cigarette smoke. CyberSentinel makes parental filtering software and are NOT a research firm. Half-assed journalism on that one, yo…
If the time that I spend at work online is counted into my total, then I ABSOLUTELY spend more than 31 hours a week actively online.
To me, this is not an excessive amount, but then nearly everyone that I interact with on a more than head-nod basis lives similarly. However I know that my perspective is just that and by default limited.
That being said, I do think that spending this time online is becoming the accepted norm. ‘Net surfing and gaming are replacing the time that was formerly spent watching television. I actually think that in many ways surfing the ‘net is more beneficial than television-watching if one has to chose between the two, as ‘net surfing is an active process and there is FAR more information as well as social interaction online.
This is why the US has become very lazy…they all start young. Most adults usually have to be online for 40 hours a week at work. However, teens are not required to spend 32 hours a week online. Understandably they have school work to do but talking to their friends and surfing YouTube is not a good way to spend their time. What happened to after school activities?
I just added up my numbers, and I come to 63 / week. Take that, teens! ha.
But, to be fair, I am a web developer…
But in my teens I spent more than 31 hours a week online.
I spend more than 31 hours in 2 days!!
Blogging, Twittering, Facebooking, Surfing, Mailing, Chatting, Programming, and more…..
I’m an old retired guy, I am past wastig time on porn, and as you say, that goes in jerks and spurts anyway, most of what I see on the web is very (yuck) educational. Hopefully mor young people can get into more controvesial arguements and we can pull away from having cannon fodder for the Saudis for kids!
This goes to that with the good comes the bad. While teens have always, and will always, get their hands on things parents may not want them to, the internet does give them easier access. That being said, the good far outweighs the bad. Teens today have the ability to get information from anywhere in the world, thanks to the internet and this gives them a much broader perspective in life. We all know the internet is only getting bigger and bigger, and good thing too, so it seems as if this may be yet another example of how much more difficult it is to be a parent in today’s world.
http://www.datexmedia.wordpress.com
Being in an online marketing company, I would definitely say that I am on WAY more than the average kid.
lmaoo I find this funny because its all so true haha! specially the porn bit!
You missed out gamming online such as WoW (World of Warcraft). The some people stay on that for upto 6 hours a day! I used to play it all day if I was off college, I stopped playing it because of it.
Good post :)
3 and a half minutes? What about some romance, some and mood lighting. I think 15 to 30 minutes is the usual for the average male and you have to hunt for new clips because the old ones get boring.
Sounds like shoddy parenting to me. My daughter, who isn’t even a teenager yet, would spend that much time online if I didn’t tell her to put the machine away and go outside and play.
I spend a lot more time on the Internet than I would ever allow my kids to use it. I would have to answer that I am online in one form or another over 15 hours per day (work not play). My kids, however, less than an hour per week.
Most of us spend many hours at the computer, because of work requirements or playing games, chatting with friends, on Facebook, Myspace, etc.
It is important that we take measures to avoid a few problems that may be caused by this activity. For instance, eye strain: ideally, we should keep the monitor screen at the keyboard level or even lower.
Also, we should avoid, if possible, working under fluorescent lights, keeping the monitor’s refresh rate at 85 Hz/second or higher, while wearing special “computer” eyeglasses. Occasionally, polarized eyeglasses will do –they can be purchased at surplus stores as reasonably priced “polarized aviator glasses.” Their retail price could be as high as $250. Most of our company’s employees have worn them for years with no problems.
Ergonomics is very important here: the height of the computer table, a comfortable chair, etc., will go a long way to avoid neck, shoulders and back pain…
Regarding chairs, we use either foam or gel cushions purchased at eBay –They *really* make a difference at the end of the day…
Holly M Wagner MD
MedixNet.info
“That is, you’re not sitting there for 50 minutes at a clip watching porn, more like three-and-a-half minutes at a clip. Presumably.”
Nicholas, if that’s really what you think based on the time it takes you to finish, if you know what I mean, then I think you might consider seeking medical help.
only teens?
That sounds like a standard number. For us who work in the industry, the numbers are skyrocketed.
I don’t have cable and I live in a smaller town… so I get all of my TV through the internet.
So… does watching an episode of Psych on Hulu.com count as time spent online or as time spent watching television?
Hmm…
The only time I´m not online is when I´m sleeping. (oh….and I was born in 1973)
Well, lets see…
40 hours a week at work.
3 hours or so at home a day on weekdays
2-5 hours on a weekend.
about 5 hours a week on my cell phone.
so, about 65-70 a week online. I am no teenager either…
Only 31?
At 17, I was spending 60 OR MORE online. (Max that I remember was somewhere around 100-112). Homeschooling sorta gave me not much to do, so I’d literally wake up at 8-9 and surf til 1-2 the following morning.
No, I had no life whatsoever.
Thankfully I’m past that stage.
Why not spend some time Recoding HDTV from any Cbl/SAT receiver to your PC while your surfing! Chk out the latest in HD Video Archiving… Hauppauge HD PVR. http://www.hauppauge.com
I’d rather not add up the hours…might be depressing.
That is really scary about the number of hours online. Instant messaging is while doing other stuff though, so i dont kow how htey can track that-
I’ve been waiting to see a bunch of comments evolve, and just wanted to make a quick point. I’m a 16 year old media producer, entrepreneur, student who does spend a lot of time online. Do I spend a lot of time on sites like YouTube, IM’ing, etc – no. I spend my 31 hours according to this survey on my company, Teens in Tech (http://www.teensintech.com). I’ve spent almost 1 year now working on a way to have teenagers use their time more efficiently by producing media content.
Adults have a stereotype that all teenagers do online is watch movies, download illegal music, watch porn and so on. There are some, more then others, that are doing something more then this. People just need to open their eyes in my opinion.
I wouldn’t be surprsied if I spend more time online than 30 hours a week. When I’m not working I’m usually online, be it participating in online gaming via XBOX Live or PSN or just browsing the net or working on my most recent projects I spend a bunch of time online.
I probably spend that or more than that amount of time online. However, most of that is spent productively. I blog a lot, do homework on line (a large portion of my chemistry homework uses the Cengage OWL online learning service.), and communicate with family and friends online. Furthermore, I am far form overweight. I spend equally as much time exercising a week and love cycling and running. In fact, while my computer usage has increased over the past couple years, my exercise level has as well, and I am proud to say that I currently am in the best shape of my life.
That number seems kind of low to me.
Better than watching tv or consuming drugs…in this era everything is online, what its the problem??
Our eyes and vision were designed for viewing distance as hunters and gatherers, and not for ongoing near work as required by regular computer use. As a result, Computer Eye Strain is becoming one of the major eye complaints heard by eye doctors today.
Symptoms can include increased myopia, blurred vision, headaches, slow refocusing, difficulty concentrating, neck, shoulder and back pain
Eye strain can be reduced significantly by taking regular breaks from the computer, resting your eyes, stretching and doing eye exercises.
For a demo of 3 great eye exercises by Dr. Grossman, one of the Country’s leading behavioral optometrists, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W10j2fL0hy0
Dr. Grossman also offers his free eye exercise booklet at his website at Natural Eye Care Free Eye Exercises with his 11 favorite eye exercises and acupressure eye points to massage regularly.
Finally, there is also an excellent section at his website on “Computer Eye Strain” under “Eye Diseases” that provides a Computer Eye Strain “Self-Help“ section with great tips of relieving eyestrain due to computer use.
Also, a few research studies show that supplementing with 6mg per day of astaxanthin per day significantly improved eye strain at week 2 and 4 of the test period.
For more information, go to Natural Eye Care for Computer Eye Strain
I feel its better to sit on than rather than wasting time in front of the idiot box..
In other news, the average American stores 99% of their perishable food in a refrigerator. This newfangled technology is destroying our age-old tradition of putting it in a jar and hoping it won’t rot.
I wonder if TXTing is considered online. What qualifies as online.
Exactly what I was wondering, for an Iphone – where does Online begin and end? If they included IM’s as online time then they don’t just mean time in the browser…
50 hours work online.
20 hours reading and listening online
I think that I spend more than 4.4 hours a day. But it’s OK, I’m normal :P
That’s a heck of alot of T&A for the average teen. It was alot tougher back when I was that age……
What about the average adult? :)
That’s too much time for teenagers to spend online ,I think bloggers spend more time per day than teenagers.