The Time Use of Teenagers

Joseph P. Price, Cornell University

Parents and policy makers often voice concerns about the ways in which teenagers use their time. This paper uses the American Time Use Survey to examine the time use of teenagers ages 15-17. We find very large gender differences, with girls spending significantly more time doing housework, caring for younger siblings, and studying and less time watching television. We also explore the degree to which parent characteristics influence the time use of teenagers, with particular focus given to activities that affect the teenagers well-being such as sleep patterns, eating habits, schoolwork, and television viewing. Our results indicate that teenagers with a single parent spend less time studying and are much less likely to eat dinner with their parent. Children from households with high incomes are more likely to eat dinner with their parents and are less likely to go to bed really late on school nights.