A new study has taken a look at how will ‘screen time’ add up over the course of a lifetime.
According to the research from Reviews.org, which surveyed 1,000 people, Australians are now spending 5.5 hours per day on their phones.
Using the average lifespan of 82 years and with the assumption that children will receive their first phone at 10 years old, this adds up to almost 17 years spent on the phone in an average lifetime.
As expected, the amount of time spent on phones differed between generations.
Gen Z had the highest average screen time, with 7.3 hours a day. This was followed by Millenials (6.7 hours), Gen X (6 hours), Boomers (2.9 hours) and Silent (2.8 hours).
As the idea of spending almost one-third of your life on your phone might be confronting, Unplug Collaborative co-founder Reviews.org Kim Anenberg Cavallo told Reviews.org that setting rules can be an effective way to reduce total screen time.
“Most of us have boundaries around when and where we eat food. The same thoughtfulness can be applied to consuming technology,” she said.
“Create an engaging, tech-free zone in your home where screens are nonexistent and mobile devices will not follow you.”
