Only 5 per cent of P.E.I. students are on screens for two hours or less per day: survey

A student uses a smartphone in this file photo. (skynesher/E+/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

Only five per cent of Prince Edward Island students between Grades 7 and 12 are looking at screens for two hours or less per day, according to a survey.

The 2024-2025 COMPASS survey looked at cannabis use, obesity, mental health, physical activity, alcohol use, smoking and sedentary behaviour among students at 34 schools in the province.

At those schools, 74 per cent of students participated in the survey.

The survey found five per cent of participating students are getting the nationally recommended recreational screen time of two hours or less per day. That number is in line with the COMPASS average, which looks at schools in P.E.I., Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.

“Youth spend a considerable amount of time sitting throughout the school day, often in front of screens or using devices,” the survey reads. “Studies suggest that the amount of time spent being sedentary increases physical and mental health risks, regardless of the amount of time spent being physically active.”

The number of students looking at screens for more than two hours has gone down slightly in the last few years. The 2022-2023 survey noted only three per cent of P.E.I. students were keeping their daily screen time under two hours.

Breaking down the survey by grade, 10 per cent of students in Grade 7 keep their screen time to two hours or less. That number falls to 4 per cent in Grades 11 and 12. Grade 9 and 10 students were at the lowest with three per cent.

The survey found P.E.I. students spend most of their screen time scrolling social media (1.9 hours), streaming TV or movies (1.5 hours), playing video or computer games (1.3 hours), and texting or messaging (one hour).

In 2024, P.E.I. banned the use of cellular devices in classrooms. It also published a guideline recommending students age 12 to 18 take at least one break from screens every hour for movement.

Other highlights from the survey include:

• 75 per cent of students are meeting the national guideline of 60 minutes of physical activity a day
• 63 per cent of students are meeting the national guidelines of eight-to-10 hours of sleep per night
• 13 per cent of students have smoked an e-cigarette in the last 30 days
• 20 per cent of students reported drinking alcohol in the last 30 days
• nine per cent of students reported using cannabis in the last 30 days
• 65 per cent of students rated their mental health as good, very good or excellent

For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.