Yes! Let's talk about about over-60s' screen time like we talk about young people's. Though I'd suggest "screen reliance" as a better measure than "screen time" (meaningful / active vs passive use?). Looking at my own family over the generations (sample size of 1) both screen time and reliance seem all-but incomparable, what is comparable is the sentiment around it:
My grandparents, both in their mid 90s and long-retired, probably watch at least 4-6hrs of TV in a day. At least. Almost always in the evening from about 6 or 7pm until they go to bed (quite late usually). Combination of news, british crime drama, and classic films from their DVD collection. They mainly spend their days playing (a surprising amount of) golf, driving to and eating cheap lunches at various clubs where they are life members (mainly motoring and golf clubs), getting coffee and browsing at shopping centres, and visiting (and being visited by) their large and ever-expanding family. They own a smart phone but until recently only used it for receiving calls (they've just started making them too). They do use the internet sporadically via a PC, mainly to make reservations or plan trips (no email or direct communication). They were the first family on the street to get a TV and every kid on the block used to come around to watch it when my Dad was a kid. They never allowed eating dinner in front of the TV, but usually do so themselves now unless someone is visiting. Their screen time is primarily passive. They find it enjoyable, normal, and don't seem to worry about it at all.
My parents and their partners, all in their 60s and working, waste time on their phones to varying degrees, including a small amount spent on social media. They all enjoy complaining about why internet technology works (or doesn't) the way it does and how much time they spend on it - they came to it later in life (duh) and are very self-ware in their usage. They also watch TV (2-3hrs, broadcast and on-demand), listen to radio, and read books, newspapers and magazines with much less complaint / awareness. Their media use encompasses their lives, but it is not all-encompassing. They take a lot of joy from a family group chat we're all part of, but to talk it's always over the phone or in person. They never allowed watching TV at dinner time, but we did watch the news together (sometimes the Simpsons!) and were one of the first houses in our small suburb to get a game machine (and a PC) in the early 90s, though usage was strictly controlled! My parents & partners will sometimes watch TV at dinner now. Their screen time is probably 50-50 passive to active.
I am on a phone and laptop all day for work. I lead a fairly active/outdoorsy life outside of work (mainly on the weekend), but also watch quite a bit of on-demand, a small amount of broadcast TV, and spend a couple of hours on personal internet use per day. I was the first professional / white collar worker in my family. I would classify my screen time as significant, bordering on excessive and primarily active.
My kids aren't allowed to watch TV at dinner time. They're about to enter school so still don't have too much use (or want) for a phone or the internet yet, beyond 2-3hrs on-demand streaming per week. I plan on limiting it as much as possible while I can, assuming that it will dominate their lives (while hoping that it won't). This seems to be the generationally-shared sentiment.
My grandparents, both in their mid 90s and long-retired, probably watch at least 4-6hrs of TV in a day. At least. Almost always in the evening from about 6 or 7pm until they go to bed (quite late usually). Combination of news, british crime drama, and classic films from their DVD collection. They mainly spend their days playing (a surprising amount of) golf, driving to and eating cheap lunches at various clubs where they are life members (mainly motoring and golf clubs), getting coffee and browsing at shopping centres, and visiting (and being visited by) their large and ever-expanding family. They own a smart phone but until recently only used it for receiving calls (they've just started making them too). They do use the internet sporadically via a PC, mainly to make reservations or plan trips (no email or direct communication). They were the first family on the street to get a TV and every kid on the block used to come around to watch it when my Dad was a kid. They never allowed eating dinner in front of the TV, but usually do so themselves now unless someone is visiting. Their screen time is primarily passive. They find it enjoyable, normal, and don't seem to worry about it at all.
My parents and their partners, all in their 60s and working, waste time on their phones to varying degrees, including a small amount spent on social media. They all enjoy complaining about why internet technology works (or doesn't) the way it does and how much time they spend on it - they came to it later in life (duh) and are very self-ware in their usage. They also watch TV (2-3hrs, broadcast and on-demand), listen to radio, and read books, newspapers and magazines with much less complaint / awareness. Their media use encompasses their lives, but it is not all-encompassing. They take a lot of joy from a family group chat we're all part of, but to talk it's always over the phone or in person. They never allowed watching TV at dinner time, but we did watch the news together (sometimes the Simpsons!) and were one of the first houses in our small suburb to get a game machine (and a PC) in the early 90s, though usage was strictly controlled! My parents & partners will sometimes watch TV at dinner now. Their screen time is probably 50-50 passive to active.
I am on a phone and laptop all day for work. I lead a fairly active/outdoorsy life outside of work (mainly on the weekend), but also watch quite a bit of on-demand, a small amount of broadcast TV, and spend a couple of hours on personal internet use per day. I was the first professional / white collar worker in my family. I would classify my screen time as significant, bordering on excessive and primarily active.
My kids aren't allowed to watch TV at dinner time. They're about to enter school so still don't have too much use (or want) for a phone or the internet yet, beyond 2-3hrs on-demand streaming per week. I plan on limiting it as much as possible while I can, assuming that it will dominate their lives (while hoping that it won't). This seems to be the generationally-shared sentiment.