Gen Z: More than a third are on phone for five hours or more a day

Australians are using their mobile phones more than ever, with a new survey revealing the shocking number of hours we spend glued to our devices.

Like a third of Gen Z, Hanna Clare is on her phone for more than five hours a day.

But it’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The 18-year-old from Sydney’s northern beaches juggles two part-time jobs and mainly uses her phone for work calls, emails and texts.

She said it means she’s not tied to a desk and she can work from anywhere, even the beach.

“I find my screen time is quite high,” she said. “But when I break it down from the data Apple generates it is quite reflective of how I am working on the go.

Bella Ewens and Hanna Clare, both 18, spend four plus hours a day on their phones, but most of it is for work when they're on-the-go. Picture: Richard Dobson

Results from a News Corp poll found six out of 10 people born between 1997 and 2004 are on their phones for more than three hours a day and 37 per cent for more than five hours.

It is significantly higher than other generations, with 45 per cent of Millennials (born 1981 to 1996) and 34 per cent of Gen X (born 1965 to 1980) looking at their mobiles for more than three hours a day.

Half of Boomers (born 1946 to 1964) and three-quarters of Silent (born 1928 to 1945) spend less than an hour a day on their phones.

More than 60 per cent of Gen Z are on their phones for three hours or more. Picture: Supplied.

Hanna’s friend Bella Ewens, 18, has set up an art business on Instagram and spends on average around four hours a day on her phone, two and a half hours of that on Insta.

Ms Ewens edits photos for her work on her mobile, as well as listening to Spotify and using Google Maps, which all counts towards her daily use.

“I live off Google calendars and use my phone a lot for emails and work texts,” she said.

While the majority of the teenagers’ phone use is for work, like everyone else they also use it to check their social media. They are very aware of the pitfalls.

“I think everyone is guilty of scrolling and getting stuck in a rabbit hole,” Ms Ewens said.

A survey has found more than a third of those born after 1997 are on their phone for more than five hours a day. (Photo by Chris DELMAS / AFP)

“That can be quite negative.

“I’m not too bad on my phone any more.

“When I was younger I had to set time limits on my apps like Snapchat and Instagram so I didn’t get sucked in.”

Ms Clare said her data shows she spends around 45 minutes a day on social media and finds too much aimless scrolling leaves her feeling “flat”.

“People can get into this spiral of being on social media and at the end of it you haven’t achieved anything and you haven’t learned any new information,” she said.