NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 157 ■ July 2014

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Center for Health Statistics

TV Watching and Computer Use in U.S. Youth 

Aged 12–15, 2012

Kirsten A. Herrick, Ph.D., M.Sc.; Tala H.I. Fakhouri, Ph.D., M.P.H.; Susan A. Carlson, Ph.D.; 

and Janet E. Fulton, Ph.D.

Key findings

Data from the National 

Health and Nutrition 

Examination Survey 

(NHANES) and the 

NHANES National Youth 

Fitness Survey, 2012

• Nearly all (98.5%) youth 

aged 12–15 reported watching 

TV daily.

• More than 9 in 10 (91.1%) 

youth aged 12–15 reported 

using the computer daily 

outside of school. 

• In 2012, 27.0% of youth 

aged 12–15 had 2 hours or less 

of TV plus computer use daily.

• Among youth aged 12–15, 

girls (80.4%) were more likely 

to use the computer 2 hours or 

less daily when compared with 

boys (69.4%).

• Fewer non-Hispanic black 

youth aged 12–15 (53.4%) 

reported watching 2 hours 

or less of TV daily than nonHispanic white (65.8%) and 

Hispanic (68.7%) youth.

Excessive screen-time behaviors, such as using a computer and watching TV, 

for more than 2 hours daily have been linked with elevated blood pressure, 

elevated serum cholesterol, and being overweight or obese among youth (1–3). 

Additionally, screen-time behavior established in adolescence has been shown 

to track into adulthood (4). The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institutesupported Expert Panel and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 

recommend that children limit leisure screen time to 2 hours or less daily (5,6). 

This report presents national estimates of TV watching and computer use 

outside of the school day.

Keywords: screen time • NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey • National 

Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

What percentage of youth watched TV or used a computer 

daily?

Almost all (98.5%) youth aged 12–15 reported watching TV, and 91.1% 

reported using the computer daily in the past 30 days. More than one-quarter 

Figure 1. Percentage of youth aged 12–15 reporting TV watching and computer use daily, by 

number of hours: United States, 2012

TV watching and computer use daily in hours

* Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision; relative standard error is greater than 30% but less than 40%. 

NOTE: Access data table for Figure 1 at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db157_table.pdf#1.

SOURCES: CDC/NCHS, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and NHANES National Youth Fitness 

Survey, 2012. Percent

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35 TV Computer

0 1 1 2 3 4 5

*1.5

8.9

12.5

26.5

21.921.2

29.5

18.2

19.7

13.6

8.1

6.5 6.9

5.1
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 157 ■ July 2014

■  2  ■

of youth (26.5%) reported some daily computer use but for less than 1 hour a day. Almost onethird of youth (29.5%) watched TV for 2 hours a day. The percentage of youth watching TV for 

5 hours or more a day was 6.9%, and 5.1% of youth used a computer for 5 hours or more a day 

(Figure 1). 

Were there differences by sex in the percentage of youth who watched TV 

or used a computer for 2 hours or less daily?

Over one-quarter (27.0%) of youth aged 12–15 met the recommended limit of 2 hours or less 

of TV plus computer use daily. The percentage of youth reporting 2 hours or less of TV plus 

computer use did not differ by sex. No sex differences were observed in the percentage of youth 

who watched TV for 2 hours or less daily; however, computer use did show a sex difference: 8 in 

10 (80.4%) girls and almost 7 in 10 (69.4%) boys reported using a computer for 2 hours or less 

daily (Figure 2). 

Figure 2. Percentage of youth aged 12–15 reporting 2 hours or less of TV viewing and computer use daily, by sex:

United States, 2012

† Significantly different from girls, p < 0.05.

NOTES: TV plus computer is the sum of time spent watching TV and using a computer. For analytical purposes, the response of “< 1 hour” was assigned the 

value of 0.5 hours. Access data table for Figure 2 at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db157_table.pdf#2.

SOURCES: CDC/NCHS, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey, 2012. Percent

0

20

40

60

80

100 All Boys Girls

TV plus computer TV Computer

27.0 25.0

29.0

65.3

67.8

62.8

74.8

†

69.4

80.4
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 157 ■ July 2014

■  3  ■

Were there differences by race and Hispanic origin in the percentage of 

youth who watched TV or used a computer for 2 hours or less daily?

The percentage of youth reporting TV plus computer use for 2 hours or less daily was higher for 

non-Hispanic white (29.4%) than non-Hispanic black (20.0%) youth. There were differences by 

race and Hispanic origin in the percentage of youth who watched TV for 2 hours or less, but not 

for computer use. Just over one-half (53.4%) of non-Hispanic black youth reported 2 hours or 

less of TV watching daily compared with roughly two-thirds of non-Hispanic white (65.8%) and 

Hispanic (68.7%) youth (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Percentage of youth aged 12–15 reporting 2 hours or less of TV viewing and computer use daily, by race and 

Hispanic origin: United States, 2012

† Significantly different from non-Hispanic white, p < 0.05.

‡ Significantly different from non-Hispanic white and Hispanic, p < 0.05.

NOTES: TV plus computer is the sum of time spent watching TV and using a computer. For analytical purposes, the response of “< 1 hour” was assigned the 

value of 0.5 hours. Access data table for Figure 3 at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db157_table.pdf#3.

SOURCES: CDC/NCHS, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey, 2012. Percent

0

20

40

60

80

100 Non-Hispanic white Non-Hispanic black Hispanic

TV plus computer TV Computer

29.4

†

20.0

26.4

65.8

‡

53.4

68.7

76.8

67.3

77.1
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 157 ■ July 2014

■  4  ■

Were there differences by weight status in the percentage of youth who 

watched TV or used a computer for 2 hours or less daily?

As weight status increased, the percentage of youth aged 12–15 who reported 2 hours or less of 

TV plus computer use decreased. Among underweight or normal-weight youth, 30.6% reported 2 

hours or less of TV plus computer use daily compared with 23.1% and 20.0% for their overweight 

and obese peers, respectively. As weight status increased, the percentage of youth who watched 

TV for 2 hours or less daily decreased. No differences in computer use by weight status were 

found (Figure 4). 

Figure 4. Percentage of youth aged 12–15 reporting 2 hours or less of TV viewing and computer use daily, by weight 

status: United States, 2012

† Significant linear trend by weight status, p < 0.05.

NOTES: TV plus computer is the sum of time spent watching TV and using a computer. For analytical purposes, the response of “< 1 hour” was assigned the value 

of 0.5 hours. Access data table for Figure 4 at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db157_table.pdf#4.

SOURCES: CDC/NCHS, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey, 2012. Percent

TV plus computer TV Computer

†

30.6

23.1

20.0

†

70.1

64.3

52.6

75.7 77.7

69.8

0

20

40

60

80

100 Underweight or normal weight Overweight Obese
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 157 ■ July 2014

■  5  ■

Summary

In 2012, one-quarter of boys (25.0%) and less than one-third of girls (29.0%) aged 12–15 met 

the AAP-recommended limit of 2 hours or less of screen time daily. This estimate was based on 

reported TV watching and computer use outside of school and included video games. One-fifth 

(20.0%) of non-Hispanic black youth met the recommended limit compared with more than 

one-quarter (29.4%) of non-Hispanic white and about one-quarter (26.4%) of Hispanic youth. As 

weight status increased, the proportion of youth who met the recommended limit of 2 hours or 

less of daily screen time decreased from 30.6% among underweight or normal weight youth to 

20.0% in obese youth.

The majority of U.S. youth watched TV or used a computer daily. However, the patterns of TV 

and computer use were different for demographic and weight status groups. TV use varied by race 

and Hispanic origin and weight status. The proportion of non-Hispanic black youth reporting 

2 hours or less of TV watched daily was smaller compared with non-Hispanic white and Hispanic 

youth. Additionally, as weight status increased, the proportion of youth who reported watching 2 

hours or less of TV daily decreased. The only difference in computer use was found by sex, with 

fewer boys than girls using a computer for 2 hours or less daily. 

Definitions

TV watching and computer use: Respondents were asked, “Over the past 30 days, on average 

how many hours per day did you sit and watch TV or videos?” Response categories included: “I 

don’t watch TV or videos,” “< 1 hour,” “1 hour,” “2 hours,” “3 hours,” “4 hours,” and “5 or more 

hours.” Similarly, for computer use, respondents were asked, “Over the past 30 days, on average 

how many hours per day did you use a computer or play computer games outside of school? 

Include PlayStation, Nintendo DS, or other portable video games.” The same response categories 

used for watching TV were employed for computer use. Time spent watching TV and using a 

computer was summed to examine combined TV plus computer use. For analytical purposes, 

the response of “< 1 hour” was assigned the value of 0.5 hours. Responses were dichotomized 

to report the percentage of respondents with 2 hours or less of TV plus computer use in a typical 

day. 

The TV watching and computer-use questionnaire provided response options that were in 1-hour 

increments (except for “< 1 hour”). Respondents had to choose the response category that best 

matched their answers and may have rounded their values up or down. This could result in an 

under- or overestimation in the percentages of youth reporting 2 hours or less. This limitation may 

be compounded when combining the amount of TV watching and computer use. Future work that 

examines the reliability and validity of these questions in categorizing youth into an indicator of 2 

hours or less may be warranted.

Weight status: Body mass index (BMI) is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in 

meters squared. Underweight or normal weight is a BMI less than the age- and sex-specific 85th 

percentiles on the 2000 CDC Growth Charts. Overweight is a BMI greater than or equal to the 

85th percentiles, but less than the 95th age- and sex-specific percentiles on the growth charts. 

Obesity is a BMI greater than or equal to the 95th age- and sex-specific percentiles (7). 
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 157 ■ July 2014

■  6  ■

Data sources and methods

Data from the 2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the 2012 

NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey (NNYFS) were used for these analyses. NHANES and 

NNYFS were conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center 

for Health Statistics. NHANES assesses the health and nutritional status of the entire civilian 

noninstitutionalized U.S. population. The 2012 NNYFS was a nationally representative survey 

of physical fitness in the resident noninstitutionalized U.S. population aged 3–15 years. NNYFS 

excluded all children in supervised care or custody in institutional settings and any other U.S. 

citizens residing outside the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Both NHANES and NNYFS 

collected TV watching and computer use through a questionnaire administered in the home. 

Participants were then asked to attend a standardized physical examination in specially equipped 

mobile centers. 

Both NHANES and NNYFS samples were selected using a complex, multistage, probability 

sampling design. NNYFS was conducted in conjunction with the 2012 NHANES, with the 

NNYFS sample selected from an independent sample of dwelling units within the segments 

selected for NHANES. The sample design of NNYFS did not include oversampling by race and 

ethnicity.

Sample weights, which account for the differential probabilities of selection, nonresponse, 

and noncoverage, were incorporated into the estimation process. The standard errors of the 

percentages were estimated using Taylor series linearization, a method that incorporates the 

sample design.

Differences between groups were evaluated using a t statistic at the p < 0.05 significance level. 

Test for trends by weight status were evaluated using linear regression, and the significance 

level was set at p < 0.05. All differences reported are statistically significant unless otherwise 

indicated. Statistical analyses were conducted using the SAS System for Windows (release 9.3; 

SAS Institute Inc, Cary, N.C.) and SUDAAN (release 11.0; RTI International, Research 

Triangle Park, N.C.).
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 157 ■ July 2014

■  7  ■

About the authors

Kirsten A. Herrick and Tala H.I. Fakhouri are with CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, 

Division of Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Susan A. Carlson and Janet E. Fulton are 

with CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of 

Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity.

References

1. Tremblay MS, LeBlanc AG, Kho ME, Saunders TJ, Larouche R, Colley RC, et al. Systematic 

review of sedentary behaviour and health indicators in school-aged children and youth. Int J 

Behav Nutr Phys Act 8:98. 2011.

2. Goldfield GS, Saunders TJ, Kenny GP, Hadjiyannakis S, Phillips P, Alberga AS, et al. Screen 

viewing and diabetes risk factors in overweight and obese adolescents. Am J Prev Med 44(4 

Suppl 4):S364–70. 2013.

3. Mark AE, Janssen I. Relationship between screen time and metabolic syndrome in 

adolescents. J Public Health (Oxf) 30(2):153–60. 2008.

4. Grøntved A, Ried-Larsen M, Møller NC, Kristensen PL, Wedderkopp N, Froberg K, et al. 

Youth screen-time behaviour is associated with cardiovascular risk in young adulthood: The 

European Youth Heart Study. Eur J Prev Cardiol 21(1):49–56. 2014.

5. Expert Panel on Integrated Guidelines for Cardiovascular Health Risk Reduction in Children 

and Adolescents. Expert panel on integrated guidelines for cardiovascular health and risk 

reduction in children and adolescents: Summary report. Pediatrics 128 Suppl 5:S213–56. 2011.

6. American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Communications and Media. Children, 

adolescents, and the media. Pediatrics 132(5):958–61. 2013.

7. Kuczmarski RJ, Ogden CL, Guo SS, et al. 2000 CDC growth charts for the United States: 

Methods and development. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Stat 11(246). 2002.
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 157 ■ July 2014

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Center for Health Statistics

3311 Toledo Road, Room 5419

Hyattsville, MD 20782

OFFICIAL BUSINESS 

PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE, $300

For more NCHS Data Briefs, visit: 

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs.htm.

FIRST CLASS MAIL 

POSTAGE & FEES PAID 

CDC/NCHS

PERMIT NO. G-284

Suggested citation

Herrick KA, Fakhouri THI, Carlson SA, 

Fulton JE. TV watching and computer use 

in U.S. youth aged 12–15, 2012. NCHS data 

brief, no 157. Hyattsville, MD: National 

Center for Health Statistics. 2014.

Copyright information

All material appearing in this report is in 

the public domain and may be reproduced 

or copied without permission; citation as to 

source, however, is appreciated.

National Center for Health 

Statistics

Charles J. Rothwell, M.S., M.B.A., Director

Jennifer H. Madans, Ph.D., Associate 

Director for Science

Division of Health and Nutrition 

Examination Surveys

Kathryn S. Porter, M.D., M.S., Director

For e-mail updates on NCHS publication 

releases, subscribe online at: 

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/govdelivery.htm.

For questions or general information

about NCHS:

Tel: 1–800–CDC–INFO (1–800–232–4636)

TTY: 1–888–232–6348

Internet: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs

Online request form: http://www.cdc.gov/

cdc-info/requestform.html

ISSN 1941–4927 Print ed.

ISSN 1941–4935 Online ed.

DHHS Publication No. 2014–1209

CS249227