Adults ages 18 to 24 spent six hours a day online in 2024, according to a study from UK-based research firm Ofcom—a sharp increase from last year’s four hours and 36 minutes. Gen Z women led the charge, clocking six hours and 36 minutes daily, while young men spent five hours and 28 minutes.
It’s not just Gen Z. On average, all adults spend four hours and 20 minutes online, with women spending an extra 33 minutes more than men across all age groups, Ofcom found. However, women are also more likely to encounter unwelcome friend requests and misogynistic comments on social media.
“Across all adult age groups, women are spending more time online – on smartphones, tablets and computers – than men, clocking up an extra 33 minutes more each day,” Ofcom’s report said.
However, while women are typically more online than men, they’re also more likely to experience unwelcome friend requests on social media or misogynistic comments.
The increase in screen time parallels another troubling trend: loneliness. Studies have repeatedly shown that Gen Z is the loneliest generation, with 60% reporting regular feelings of isolation and one in five having one or no close friends.
Levi Lusko, pastor of Fresh Life Church in Montana, knows this problem well. In his book Marvel at the Moon, Lusko explores how Gen Z’s problem with loneliness is exacerbated by prolific technology use.
“Loneliness and anxiety is not just a current problem,” Lusko told RELEVANT. “We have to always remind ourselves to ground ourselves in true history. It’s a human problem. It’s always been a thing, but it is in our country, in our culture, something that we have the privilege of dealing with more and more because we are capable of being complicit in our own suffering. Technology and the modern age has allowed us to build lives where we don’t talk to people anymore.”
