Photograph of a group of students playing volleyball on Alumni Lawn, as photographed on Sept. 20, 2024. (Hustler Multimedia/George Albu)
In terms of average daily screen time, 44.9% of respondents reported they spend four to six hours on their phone each day, and 32.8% said they spend two to four hours on their phone. A total of 14.1% spend six to nine hours on their phone, while 5.1% spend only one to two hours. Three percent of first-year students reported that their screen time is over nine hours a day.
SCREEN TIME
Roughly three-fourths of respondents’ main news source was news websites/apps (73%) and Instagram (78%). A total of 44% of first-year students use TikTok the most; 38% find themselves on YouTube the most often, 20% watching TV and under 20% reported using X (formerly Twitter), podcasts, print, Facebook and other platforms the most.
NEWS CONSUMPTION BY PLATFORM
The percentage of students who drink once a semester dropped 16% after entering college, and the percentage of students who drink once a month dropped 12%. The number of first-year students who drink weekly increased by 14%, while there was an 8% increase in those who drink twice a week in college than before college. An increase of 2% was seen in students who consume alcohol three, four or more times per week.
ALCOHOL BEFORE AND DURING COLLEGE
Regarding marijuana usage, there was a 4% increase in use after entering college among those who reported using marijuana once a semester and a 1% increase in those who reported using marijuana once a week. A decrease in usage was seen among first-year students who had previously used marijuana once a month, three times a week and four times a week, while a 3% increase was seen in those who used twice a week.
MARIJUANA BEFORE AND DURING COLLEGE
The most popular state for first years’ fake IDs was Georgia. California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Illinois were also popular states for first years’ fake IDs. Colorado, Texas, Minnesota, Ohio and Pennsylvania were the states with two reported fake IDs, while Arizona, Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Vermont and Maine each had one reported fake ID from a first-year.