đ This fact may be outdated
This statistic appears to reference research from the early 2010s about Millennials. Current Gen Z digital habits are dramatically different: email usage has plummeted (replaced by texting/messaging apps), phone time has increased but shifted to apps/social media rather than calls, and gaming patterns vary widely. The cumulative totals can't be verified against current data.
The average 21 year old has spent 5,000 hours playing video games, has exchanged 250,000 e-mails, instant and text messages and has spent 10,000 hours on the mobile phone.
How Digital Habits Changed: Millennials vs Gen Z
Remember when people actually emailed each other? A fascinating statistic from the early 2010s claimed the average 21-year-old had exchanged 250,000 emails and text messages, spent 5,000 hours gaming, and logged 10,000 hours on their mobile phone. That snapshot captured peak Millennial digital behaviorâbut today's 21-year-olds live in a completely different online world.
The Email Era Is Dead
Perhaps the most dramatic shift: email has become almost obsolete for young adults. Current research shows 18-24 year-olds send around 128 texts per day, but email barely registers in their communication habits. Texting now has a 98% open rate compared to email's dismal 20%, and 83% of consumers prefer texting over email or calls. Those 250,000 messages? Still happeningâjust via iMessage, WhatsApp, Snapchat, and Instagram DMs instead of Gmail.
For today's Gen Z, email is that thing you check occasionally for package tracking and school assignments, not how you actually talk to people.
Screen Time Exploded (But Differently)
The "10,000 hours on mobile phones" stat is both outdated and misleading. Modern 21-year-olds blow past that numberâGen Z averages 9 hours daily on screens, spending over 4 hours just on smartphones. But they're not "on the phone" making calls; they're scrolling TikTok, watching YouTube, gaming, and messaging.
- Gen Z spends 3 hours daily on TikTok alone
- Over 2 hours on Instagram
- 90% check texts within 5 minutes of receiving them
- 69% openly admit to phone addiction
The device is the same, but the behavior is unrecognizable compared to a decade ago.
Gaming Got Complicated
That 5,000-hour gaming estimate is harder to verify today because gaming fragmented dramatically. Some young adults are hardcore gamers logging 20+ hours weekly, while others barely touch consoles. Current data shows 21% of 20-29 year-olds game 6-10 hours per week, and 8% exceed 20 hours weeklyâbut 36-40% play less than 5 hours.
Mobile gaming, esports, streaming on Twitch, and watching gaming content on YouTube all complicate the picture. Are you "gaming" if you're watching someone else play? The lines blurred.
What This Tells Us
These shifting statistics reveal something profound: digital habits evolve faster than generational turnover. The 2010 version of a 21-year-old and the 2025 version are separated by only 15 years, yet their digital lives are almost incomparable. Email died, video calls became normal, social media fragmented into a dozen platforms, and "phone time" transformed from talking to scrolling.
The original statistic wasn't wrongâit just captured a specific moment in digital history that's already ancient by internet standards.