Last updated on 4-12-2024 by Laïla Boulbayem
Why do we study screen time in adolescents?
- Screen time is defined as any time spent watching screens, including smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, television, and computers.
- High levels of screen time in adolescents are associated with increased risk for obesity and other cardiometabolic risk factors, poorer mental health, unhealthy dietary habits and eating disorders, and problems in development. Sleep, physical activity, eyesight, headaches, and the musculoskeletal system can also be negatively affected.
- For adolescents, recreational screen time should be limited at maximum two hours a day.
How do we do it?
- The screen time of adolescents aged 10 to 17 years was assessed using questions derived from the Flemish Physical Activity Questionnaires (FPAQ). The following questions were asked to the participants: “Approximately how many hours a day do you spend doing the following activities while sitting or lying down, on weekdays / weekend days?”
- Watching television, films, series, programmes, etc. on a computer, tablet or smartphone.
- Playing games on a computer, games console (e.g. Playstation®, Xbox®, GameCube® , etc.), tablet, smartphone or other equipment.
- Surfing the Internet, sending emails, chatting, visiting Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, etc. on a computer, tablet or smartphone.
- These questions were asked separately for week and weekend days. Adolescents were asked to select one answer among the following options: Never, 15 minutes/day, 30 minutes /day, 1hour/day, 1h30/day, 2 hours/day, 2h30/day, 3 hours/day, 3h30/day, more than 4 hours/day.
- Times spent watching television (or films, series on other devices), playing video games and surfing the internet were summed separately for week and weekend days. These sums were compared to the guidelines to identify adolescents exceeding the recommended limit per day on week and weekend days.
- In 2014-2015, the FPAQ questions were also used to assess screen time in adolescents. However, the questions were formulated differently in 2022-2023 compared to 2014-2015 to account for the evolution of the technologies, i.e. including smartphones and tablets. In addition, less answer options were given in 2014-2015 compared to 2022-2023. Also, the 2014-2015 questionnaire specified not to consider the activities done at school, which was not the case in 2022-2023. These differences can influence the comparison of the screen time between the two survey years.
Key results
81% of adolescents aged 10 to 17 years exceed two hours of screen time per day on weekdays and 91% on weekends.
Both on weekdays and weekends, more boys than girls exceed two hours of screen time per day.
Adolescents from families with low-educational levels are more likely than others to spend more than two hours a day in screen-based activities on weekdays.
The proportion of adolescents exceeding two hours a day of screen time on weekends increased in Belgium between 2014-2015 and 2022-2023.
Sex
Proportion of adolescents aged 10 to 17 years having screen time higher than two hours a day on week and weekend days, by sex, Belgium: 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- In 2022-2023, 81% of adolescents aged 10 to 17 years spent more than two hours a day in screen-based activities on weekdays, while 91% exceeded this limit on weekends.
- Both during the week and the weekend, more boys than girls exceed two hours a day of screen time.
Educational level
Proportion of adolescents aged 10 to 17 years having screen time higher than two hours a day on week and weekend days, by educational level, Belgium: 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- The educational level is calculated at the household level by considering the highest diploma obtained by: (i) the respondents or their partner for adults (aged 18 years and above), or (ii) the father and mother (or carer, if applicable) for children and adolescents (aged 3 to 17 years). However, for simplicity, we refer to the educational level of individuals rather than the educational level of their households.
- The proportion of 10 to 17 years old adolescents spending more than two hours a day in screen-based activities on weekdays is higher among adolescents from families with low-educational level (87%) than among adolescents from families with mid- and high- educational levels.
- By contrast, the proportion of adolescents exceeding two hours a day of screen time on weekends does not differ according to the educational level.
Region and year
Proportion of adolescents aged 10 to 17 years old having screen time higher than two hours a day on (A) week and (B) weekend days, by region and year, Belgium: 2022-2023
A. On weekdays
B. On weekend days
- Adjusted = results weighted for season, age, sex and socioeconomic status, and adjusted according to age and sex based on linear regression model (using the Belgian population of 2022-2023 as reference).
- The questions were formulated differently in 2022-2023 compared to 2014-2015 to take the evolution of the technologies into account, i.e. including smartphones and tablets. In addition, less answer options were given in 2014-2015 compared to 2022-2023. Also, the 2014-2015 questionnaire specified to not consider the activities done at school, which was not the case in 2022-2023. These differences can influence the comparison of the screen time between both survey years.
- Both at national and regional levels, the proportion of adolescents aged 10 to 17 years exceeding two hours a day of screen time on weekdays increased between 2014-2015 and 2022-2023. This increase could be the result of changes in the questions used in 2022-2023 compared to 2014-2015. Indeed, the 2014-2015 questionnaire explicitly specified to not consider the activities done at school, which was no longer the case in 2022-2023.
- The proportion of adolescents exceeding two hours a day of screen time on weekends increased in Belgium, as in Flanders, between 2014-2015 and 2022-2023, but remained unchanged in Wallonia during this period. The change in Brussels may not be interpreted due to insufficient sample size in 2014-2015.
- In 2022-2023, similar proportions of adolescents watching screens more than two hours a day are observed across the three regions both on week and weekend days.
Sex and year
Proportion of adolescents aged 10 to 17 years old having screen time higher than two hours a day on (A) week and (B) weekend days, by sex and year, Belgium: 2022-2023
A. On weekdays
B. On weekend days
- Adjusted = results weighted for season, age, sex and socioeconomic status, and adjusted according to age and sex based on linear regression model (using the Belgian population of 2022-2023 as reference).
- The questions were formulated differently in 2022-2023 compared to 2014-2015 to take the evolution of the technologies into account, i.e. including smartphones and tablets. In addition, less answer options were given in 2014-2015 compared to 2022-2023. Also, the 2014-2015 questionnaire specified to not consider the activities done at school, which was not the case in 2022-2023. These differences can influence the comparison of the screen time between both survey years.
- The proportions of boys and girls exceeding two hours a day of screentime on weekdays importantly increased between 2014-2015 and 2022-2023. This increase could however be the result of changes in the questions used in 2022-2023 compared to 2014-2015. Indeed, the 2014-2015 questionnaire explicitly specified to not consider the activities done at school, which was no longer the case in 2022-2023.
- The proportion of boys watching screens more than two hours a day on weekends slightly increased between 2014-2015 (87%) and 2022-2023 (94%), while the proportion of girls in this case remained unchanged between both survey years (82% and 88%, respectively).
Please cite this page as: Sciensano. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour in adolescents: Screen time, Food Consumption Survey 2022-2023, December 2024, Brussels, Belgium, https://www.sciensano.be/en/results-national-food-consumption-survey-2022-2023/physical-activity-and-sedentary-behaviour-adolescents-between-10-and-17-years/screen-time