For media buyers focused on youth audiences, a new report from online safety platform Aura suggests a shift in thinking: how often kids engage with their phones may matter more than how long they spend on them. Children with lower digital wellbeing check their devices seven times more frequently than peers with higher scores, while sending nearly five times more messages and switching apps three times as often.
These users also exhibit shorter sessions but return to their devices more frequently throughout the day, creating a pattern of constant interruption rather than sustained engagement. For advertisers, this points to fragmented attention rather than simple overexposure.