Teens Admit: They Spend Hours Scrolling but Don’t Enjoy It, Poll Finds

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Teens and technology seem inseparable in modern society, but a new study finds that the digital experiences they crave – including social media – often fail to bring them joy, by their own admission.

The 2026 Common Sense Media survey of 1,211 young people ages 9 to 17 found a striking gap between technology use and enjoyment, with – for example – 86 percent of teens saying they use social media in their free time, yet only 47 percent of them saying they enjoy it “a lot.” 

“Across many activities we measured, there isn't always alignment on how much time youth spend on something and how much they say they enjoy it,” the report said. “This pattern also echoes recent work showing that teens often express ambivalence about their relationship with social media and gaming, given the mix of positive and negative content and contacts they encounter there.”

Pointing to addictive features designed to keep teens and tweens engaged and the gap between use and enjoyment, the report states plainly: “This gap suggests that engagement-driving platform features may keep young people in spaces they don't always enjoy.”

Short videos, such as TikToks, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, attract 99 percent of teens and 87 percent of tweens, but just 64 percent of teen viewers and 65 percent of tween viewers report they enjoy them “a lot.” 

The joy gap also extends to longer videos and traditional entertainment. 

Among teens, 97 percent watch longer videos or streams on platforms such as YouTube or Twitch, compared with 91 percent of tweens. Yet only 48 percent of teen viewers and 51 percent of tween viewers say they enjoy them a lot. 

Television shows and movies attract 98 percent of both age groups, but only 53 percent of viewers in each group report enjoying them a lot.

The sharpest divide involves artificial intelligence: 77 percent of teens and 49 percent of tweens use AI chatbots or companions in their free time, yet just 11 percent of teen users and 15 percent of tween users say they enjoy the experience a lot. 

The report urges parents and caregivers to help guide tweens and teens toward healthier media habits.

“As these platforms keep evolving, often faster than families, schools, or policymakers can keep up, continued research and monitoring will be essential to understand how these technologies shape the everyday lives of our children, and especially tweens and teens, who are often searching for community and support, both in person and in their online communities,” the report says. “Parents and caregivers, educators, and platforms themselves will have a responsibility to support healthier outcomes and guide youth in these changing and growing media environments.”

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Hispanolistic

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

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