Millennials Spending Equivalent of 49 Days per Year on Smartphones

Globally, the average millennial with internet spends more than three hours per day on their mobile devices, the equivalent of nearly a full day each week—or almost 50 days per year.

Canadian millennials split their time between watching videos and online TV which accounts for 46% of device time with 76% engaging on a daily basis (only 59% globally), browsing social media platforms, and online shopping, according to the Connected Life report by TNS Global. They also continue to consume media in traditional ways (e.g. TV, radio) but with much lower frequency than previous generations.

In Canada, for older consumers who are online, traditional media habits still hold strong with the 46-65 age group spending 4.3 hours each day watching TV, reading newspapers and listening to the radio (3.1 hours globally); 2.5 hours more than the average millennial. Those online aged 46-55 spend 0.8 hours a day on their phones, while 46% use Facebook on a daily basis.

In today’s fragmented media landscape, Canadian millennials are using even more platforms across IM, social and traditional channels. More than 6 in 10 (64%) of 16-30 year olds use instant messaging every day, up from 47% last year, while more than two hours a day are spent watching video on-demand and TV shows on the internet.