As an adult I must spend at least 80+% of my time staring at a screen, but I'm guessing that will never be diagnosed as a problem and get its own article because nobody cares when it comes to adults?
First, my time on a screen is far more productive (the time mentioned in the headline excludes any school work). It's not occupied by social media or games, it's occupied by more meaningful communication with people, critical thinking, etc. It's also the most efficient way for me personally to make a living and provide the needs of life for multiple other people. I'd like to think I've chosen a job where I'm contributing meaningfully to the world and not just affecting the bottom line of my employer or my own checking account.
When I'm not working, I do make it a point to not have my face in a screen. I spend time in stimulating and wholesome recreational activities with my kids, I get outside, I exercise. If you do have your face in a screen the whole time, I have bad news for you: you're probably missing out on some cool real life stuff, your wellness may be suffering, and there are articles about you using a screen too much [1]. People do care when it comes to adults, especially adults who need to be taking care of their kids more than being on their phone or paying attention to the road.
[1] https://duckduckgo.com/?q=adults+time+on+their+phones&ia=web. There are even articles about how this is actually a disproportionate problem with adults.
Building relationships and learning social skills is very important for teens. An increasing number of jobs and products will be in entertainment where attention is the currency. There are some very educational and meaningful youtube channels for example.
Teens are spending half their hours in front of a screen so it sounds like there is a balance.
That's certainly possible. I'm sure most people here were the odd balls growing up, doing the opposite of what other kids were doing.
First, a quick Google tells me there are plenty of articles written about too much screen time, generally. Second, teenagers are at a very vulnerable, formative time of their lives when this excessive screen time is occurring, with as yet unknown consequences.
The teens by virtue of their age probably aren’t working, so I don’t that screen tune can be attributed to work requirements.
Like Slack and Jira?
My total screen time is higher than that, but that's largely my fault (although I do work 50+ hours a few weeks out of the year). If you work in tech your going to spend a lot of time in front of screens, likewise fishing guides spend a lot of time staring at water.