Gaming, smartphone addiction starts in primary school as daily screen times soar
Screen time among Australian primary schoolers has ballooned to six-and-a-half hours a day, according to new research that also finds one in ten students uses their smartphone at problematic levels.
The study of students in years four to eight found that average daily screen time for junior high schoolers was nine hours a day. One in 25 of the students surveyed showed signs of clinical-level Internet Gaming Disorder, which a separate study has found was the most likely to lead to social and emotional problems.
Brad Marshall, the researcher from Macquarie University and online safety company Ctrl+Shft who led the screen use study, said usage was higher than he expected. 'Gaming addiction and smartphone addiction start in primary school. This is not a year 10 to 12 phenomena,' Marshall said.
Most previous measures of Australian students' screen time were taken before the COVID-19 pandemic. A 2017 study put daily usage at just over four hours for primary students and six hours for high school students.
But the social shutdown led to increased screen use, and this study affirms fears that usage has not returned to pre-pandemic levels.
The research, led by academics at Macquarie University and published in the journal Current Psychology, was undertaken in 2023 and involved almost 2000 students from six independent schools. It asked them about their total screen time, and did not differentiate between recreational and educational use.
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It identified that almost 10 per cent of the students surveyed – particularly girls – were at moderate to high risk of smartphone addiction, while one in 25, or 4 per cent – particularly boys – showed signs of clinical or subclinical gaming disorder.
Those with high screen use experienced up to three times more negative developmental effects than their peers, findings which Marshall said should prompt a national conversation.
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