--- title: "Most American 11-Year-Olds Now Have Smartphones" description: "According to a new report by Common Sense Media found that the average smartphone use and screen time for kids in the U.S. is as high as its ever been." date: "2019-11-01" modified: "2019-11-01" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/11-year-olds-smartphones-kids-screen-time" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "children" - "health" - "screen time" - "smartphones" --- # Most American 11-Year-Olds Now Have Smartphones ![According to a new report by Common Sense Media found that the average screen time for children in the U.S. is as high as its ever been.]() *\Image: Images via Pxhere/Victor Tangermann\* According to a [new report]() by Common Sense Media, a company that recommends entertainment and technology to families and schools, the average screen time for children in the U.S. is as high as it's ever been — almost five hours a day for eight- to 12-year-olds, excluding computer time for homework. The trend is in part due to children getting smartphones at younger and younger ages. According to the report, 69 percent of children in the U.S. in 2019 have a smartphone by the age of 12. A still significant 19 percent get one by age eight — up from 11 percent in 2015. Experts are worried this surge in screen time could have negative effects, as laid out in an [opinion piece]() published Friday in *The Guardian* — though not all agree. The topic of children's screen time has been contentious among researchers. Scientists [have struggled to agree]() whether screen time is a good or bad thing for kids. Studies have often contradicted each other: some claim it's nothing to be worried about — in fact, some screen time each day could end up [being a good thing](). [Others found]() more than an hour a day was correlated with lower self-control and less emotional stability. Screen time could even have lasting effects on children's developing brains. Last year, a [landmark research study]() found that increased screen time caused brain scans of some 4,500 children to show "different patterns." ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()