A New Documentary-Style Video Capturing Teens Daily Screen Time
Teens spend an average of 5.2 hours on their screens every day
Rogers Screen Break is a national 5-year, $50 million program to help teens balance daily screen use
Rogers is launching The 5.2 Project on 5.2.2026 to put a spotlight on the 5.2 hours Canadian teens spend on their phones every day.
A study commissioned by Rogers found that tweens and teens spend on average of 5.2 hours per day on their phones, with nine in 10 exceeding the two-hour screen time limit recommended by the Canadian Pediatric Society. Excessive screen time is associated with anxiety and depression, lower levels of physical fitness, academic performance, and developmental delays. While nine in 10 parents surveyed think youth spend too much time on their phones, only one in three youth think their screen time is a problem.
The 5.2 Project
To shed light on the issue, teens from three Canadian families were followed by a documentary filmmaker capturing every moment on camera, including their phone use. Their screen time was packaged in 5.2 hours of raw footage for their parents to watch and react to.
“We know the average Canadian teen is spending too much time on their phone, but seeing the reality of those habits throughout a typical day is truly eye-opening,” said Sarah Zupnik, Rogers Screen Break Program Director. “Our goal is to help Canadian youth develop healthier relationships with their devices and The 5.2 Project is about helping families tackle this issue.”
For The 5.2 Project, cameras were placed throughout each family’s home to capture daily routines. The film director also followed each teen using a handheld camera. Parents were interviewed before and after watching the 5.2-hour raw footage of their own child on their phone.
The participating youth included a 17-year-old who spent 6.21 hours on her device, a 15-year-old who spent 8.22 hours on his device, and a 16-year-old who spent 13.15 hours on her device.
“Watching these teens move through their day with a phone constantly in hand, or within arm’s reach, brought this issue into focus for me,” said Lucas Dabrowski, director of The 5.2 Project. “My hope is this film gives families a starting point for healthy conversations about how screens shape their everyday experiences. It also sparked some self-reflection about my own relationship with technology and screen time.”
Rogers Screen Break: A Five-Year, $50 Million Commitment
Rogers first launched Screen Break in January. The five-year $50 million national program to help youth balance screen time includes four pillars: parental tools, youth programming, partnerships and research, and education and advocacy.
Well-known athletes have been vocal advocates for promoting balanced screen time including George Springer, John Tavares, Trey Yesavage, Connor McDavid, Marie-Philip Poulin and Sarah Nurse. You can find their videos on Rogers Screen Break website.
The 5.2 Project is also available on Rogers Screen Break website, which includes resources to help make screen time conversations easier.