Why is screen use part of everyday life for young people rather than a separate activity?

Because most young people are present in two spaces at once, physically where they are and in the digital space, and they experience the smartphone as an essential extension of themselves. 99% of Swiss young people own one and use it daily or several times a week.

The smartphone is not a device they "go to"; it is always with them and always on. Young people are simultaneously in a physical place and in chats, feeds and games. Taking the phone away therefore feels less like ending a pastime and more like cutting off part of one's social life.

The key number: 99% of young people have a smartphone and use it daily or several times a week (JAMES study 2022, a Swiss survey of 12 to 19-year-olds).

This is why "problematic screen use" cannot be measured by whether someone uses a screen, or even by how long: almost everyone uses it all the time. What matters is the effect on their life.

Go deeper:

• ZHAW: JAMES study — the Swiss survey of young people's media use (German).