Over-scheduled or at loose ends? The shifting balance of
adolescent time use Little is known about the time use of
American youth. In this study, time diary data from 1977-78 and
2003-05 are used to investigate time use in middle adolescence
with the goals of ascertaining (1) changes in time use, (2) how
socioeconomic and familial factors influence adolescent time
allocation, and (3) the extent to which the mix of leisure
undertaken by today’s adolescents reflect a choice set that
favors positive developmental experiences. The results suggest
that over the past few decades, adolescents have substantially
reduced their paid employment time while simultaneously
increasing the time they spend in leisure. Adolescents’
declining real wage rates appear to have contributed to this
shift. In 2003-05, adolescents averaged over six hours per day
in leisure activities with approximately two-thirds of their
leisure time spent in passive activities and less than one-third
spent in leisure pursuits that have a high probabi