How has the start of the new school year affected the screen time for CB East students? After interviewing The Patriot staff writers, it is clear that the extra responsibilities that students have taken on during the school year have significantly cut the time high schoolers spend on their phones.

According to CBE senior Brooke Dougherty, her screen time has gone from 7-10 hours per day during the summer to 2 hours a day now. She attributes this drastic change to her lack of free time. Between school, homework, clubs, sports, part-time jobs, and college applications, seniors can’t afford to spend too much time browsing Instagram or watching TikTok. Brooke noted that during the summer, she spent most of her time on TikTok, but this school year, her attention has shifted to running various club Instagram accounts. Even screen time is productive now. Despite her busy schedule, Brooke is not upset with the change, stating she is happy that she is getting more done.

Other students, like Jordanna Keyser, are unsurprised by this change. Like Brooke, Jordanna’s screen time has cut significantly, but she remains ambivalent. During the summer, her screen time was at about 3 hours per day, but it is now at around 90 minutes. Jordanna states that her screen time has always been intentional. She had more time in the summer, so she used her phone more in the summer. Now with more responsibilities, she has cut back.

Regardless of how much time high schoolers spend on their phones, the start of the new school year has certainly affected the average usage.