The 2026 North Atlanta Children's Screen Time Report

Half of U.S. teenagers now spend four or more hours every day on recreational screens, while teens ages 13 to 18 average 8 hours and 39 minutes of daily entertainment screen use. For North Atlanta's six-county area, home to an estimated 615,000 children and more than 394,000 enrolled K-12 students, the report frames screen time as a pediatric health, family guidance, and school policy issue.

• Children ages 5 to 8 average 3 hours and 28 minutes of daily entertainment screen use.
• Tween entertainment screen use averages 5 hours and 33 minutes per day.
• Teen entertainment screen use averages 8 hours and 39 minutes per day, a 149% increase from the ages 5 to 8 average.
• Teens with four or more hours of daily screen time are 2.2 times more likely to report anxiety symptoms than peers with lower use.
• High-screen teens are 2.7 times more likely to report depression symptoms.
• Anxiety symptom prevalence rises from 12.3% among teens with under four daily screen hours to 27.1% among those with four or more.
• Depression symptom prevalence rises from 9.5% to 25.9% across the same screen time comparison.
• Teens with four or more hours of daily screen time are 29% less likely to meet physical activity guidelines.
• The six-county North Atlanta study area includes an estimated 615,322 children under age 18 and approximately 394,406 enrolled K-12 students.

Research Partner

One Family Pediatrics

Study ID

ASBRC-2026-022

Geography

North Atlanta, Georgia

Industry

Pediatric healthcare

Research Area

Healthcare & Family Business Insight

Primary Data Sources

National Center for Health Statistics Data Brief No. 513 and NCHS QuickStats, 2024, Common Sense Media 2025 Census, Pew Research Center parent and teen surveys, 2024 and 2025, CDC 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, National Survey of Children's Health, 2022-2024, Georgia HB 340 and HB 1009 legislative records, North Atlanta district enrollment data, 2023-2026, U.S. Census Bureau 2020 Census and QuickFacts 2025

Publication Date

June 2026

Status

Published

This report documents rising recreational screen time among children and teens, links high screen use to elevated anxiety, depression, and reduced physical activity, and applies those findings to North Atlanta's estimated 615,000 children.

For North Atlanta families, screen time is no longer only a household preference or discipline issue. The report frames it as a pediatric health topic connected to mental health, sleep, physical activity, family stress, and school policy, with clinicians positioned to help parents translate national data into practical home routines.

The report synthesizes national and state-level data from NCHS, Common Sense Media, Pew Research Center, CDC YRBS, NSCH, Georgia legislative records, district enrollment data, and Census demographic context. Data were organized thematically across mental health, physical activity, sleep, and family dynamics, then applied to Forsyth, Gwinnett, Hall, Dawson, Cherokee, and Fulton counties for regional context.

This report is observational and correlational. Screen time associations with anxiety, depression, and physical inactivity do not establish causation. Local child health outcomes specific to North Atlanta's six-county area were not independently measured; national figures are applied to the regional population for contextual illustration only. This report is educational and does not substitute for individualized medical care.

• National Center for Health Statistics Data Brief No. 513 and NCHS QuickStats, 2024
• Common Sense Media 2025 Census
• Pew Research Center parent and teen surveys, 2024 and 2025
• CDC 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey
• National Survey of Children's Health, 2022-2024
• Georgia HB 340 and HB 1009 legislative records
• North Atlanta district enrollment data, 2023-2026
• U.S. Census Bureau 2020 Census and QuickFacts 2025

One Family Pediatrics provided pediatric and parent-education context for interpreting the screen time research and applying it to families across Forsyth, Gwinnett, Hall, Dawson, Cherokee, and Fulton counties.

• Full Report PDF: Full report PDFAvailable
• Executive Summary: Executive summaryAvailable
• Methodology: Methodology notesAvailable
• Citation: American Small Business Research Center. The 2026 North Atlanta Children's Screen Time Report. ASBRC-2026-022. June 2026.Available
• Press Release: Press releaseAvailable
• Charts: ChartsComing Soon
• Media Kit: Media kitComing Soon

American Small Business Research Center. The 2026 North Atlanta Children's Screen Time Report. ASBRC-2026-022. June 2026.

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One Family Pediatrics. Research partners may provide topic context, access to subject matter expertise, or financial support for the research process. The American Small Business Research Center maintains editorial independence. Research partners do not determine findings, methodology, conclusions, or publication decisions.