Screen time is now an integral part of daily life for many people. Yet, most don’t realize how much time they spend in front of screens—whether it’s their phones, computers, or TVs. Let’s analyze the latest screen time data to uncover key insights in these areas:

Global Screen Time Overview for 2024

Screen time has seen a significant rise globally. Here’s a look at how much time people are spending in front of screens each day:

• People worldwide spend about 6 hours and 40 minutes daily on screens.
• Since 2013, daily screen time has increased by more than 30 minutes.

In the United States, the numbers are slightly higher:

• Americans spend 7 hours and 3 minutes each day looking at screens.

Other regions have even higher averages:

• In South Africa, people spend an average of 9 hours and 24 minutes on screens daily.

The increase in screen time isn’t limited to adults:

• Nearly half (49%) of children aged 0 to 2 years old interact with smartphones regularly.
• Generation Z is also heavily engaged, with an average of about 9 hours spent on screens daily.

This data shows a clear trend of increasing screen usage across different age groups and regions.

Global Average Screen Time

Recent data shows that people spend an average of 6 hours and 40 minutes daily on internet-connected screens.

• Considering all global internet users, this adds up to roughly 5 billion days of screen time worldwide.

Screen time has been steadily increasing:

• Since 2013, daily screen time has risen by 8.4%, about 31 minutes more daily.

Below is a detailed look at how average screen time on internet-connected devices has changed since 2013:

Year	Average Screen Time	Change Over the Previous Year
Q3 2013	6 hours 9 minutes	–
Q3 2014	6 hours 23 minutes	↑ 3.8%
Q3 2015	6 hours 20 minutes	↓ 0.8%
Q3 2016	6 hours 29 minutes	↑ 2.4%
Q3 2017	6 hours 46 minutes	↑ 4.4%
Q3 2018	6 hours 48 minutes	↑ 0.5%
Q3 2019	6 hours 38 minutes	↓ 2.5%
Q3 2020	6 hours 54 minutes	↑ 4%
Q3 2021	6 hours 58 minutes	↑ 1%
Q3 2022	6 hours 37 minutes	↓ 5.2%
Q3 2023	6 hours 40 minutes	↑ 0.8%

Recent data indicates that the average person spends over 40% of their waking life on an internet screen.

U.S. Screen Time Statistics

The average daily screen time on internet-connected devices in the United States is 7 hours and 3 minutes. This is higher than the global average of 6 hours and 40 minutes. Screen time in the U.S. has remained the same in recent years.

From 2021 to 2023, it remained almost the same, with only a slight decrease from 7 hours and 4 minutes to 7 hours and 3 minutes. Here’s a table that outlines the average screen time in the U.S. since 2017:

Year	US Average Screen Time
Q2-Q3 2017	6 hours 30 minutes
Q2-Q3 2018	6 hours 31 minutes
Q3 2019	6 hours 42 minutes
Q3 2020	7 hours 11 minutes
Q3 2021	7 hours 4 minutes
Q3 2022	6 hours 59 minutes
Q3 2023	7 hours 3 minutes

As of Q2 2023, Nielsen data shows that Americans aged 18 and older spend an average of 59 hours and 56 minutes per week consuming media. This translates to about 8 hours and 34 minutes per day.

Media consumption covers watching TV, using the internet or video on a computer, and accessing apps or websites on smartphones and tablets.

Comparison of Screen Time Between Mobile and Computers in the U.S.

In the U.S., the time spent on mobile devices and computers is nearly the same. People spend 3 hours and 30 minutes on mobile devices daily, while 3 hours and 34 minutes are dedicated to computer use.

Below is a comparison of how screen time is divided between mobile devices and computers in the U.S. versus the global average.

Country	Proportion Streaming TV	Proportion Playing Video Games	Daily Time Spent on Video Games	Daily Time Spent on Social Media
US	91.6%	80.9%	1 hour 27 mins	2 hours 14 mins
Global Average	93.5%	83.6%	1 hour 12 mins	2 hours 27 mins

U.S. Screen Time Trends Compared to Global Averages Interestingly, the U.S. lags behind the global average in two key areas: streaming TV and playing video games. The proportion of Americans who stream TV is 1.9% lower than the world average, while the percentage of those playing video games is 2.7% lower.

Despite this, Americans spend 15 minutes more on video games daily than the global average. However, their time on social media is 13 minutes less than the worldwide average. Age also impacts screen time habits significantly. For instance, U.S. teenagers spend over 3 hours watching TV or videos daily.

Screen Time Trends by Age Group

Recent data reveals that younger people spend more time on screens than older people. For instance, individuals aged 16-24 spend an average of 7 hours and 32 minutes per day on internet-connected devices if they are female and 7 hours and 4 minutes male.

In contrast, those aged 55-64 spend less time: 5 hours and 17 minutes for females and 5 and 14 minutes for males. Here’s a detailed look at how screen time varies by age group based on data from Q3 2023:

Age group	Female	Male
16-24	7 hours 32 minutes	7 hours 7 minutes
25-34	7 hours 3 minutes	7 hours 13 minutes
35-44	6 hours 25 minutes	6 hours 40 minutes
45-54	6 hours 9 minutes	6 hours 5 minutes
55-64	5 hours 17 minutes	5 hours 14 minutes

A study conducted in the UK in March 2020 revealed that age significantly affects daily screen time. Younger adults aged 18-34 averaged 8.8 hours of screen time daily.

In contrast, those aged 65 and older spent only 5.2 hours daily on screens. In the U.S., another study showed that adults in their 20s had an average of 28.5 hours of recreational screen time per week in 2020. This is an increase from 25.9 hours per week in 2018.

Screen Time Among Teens

Activity	Average Daily Screen Time
Watching TV/Videos	3 hours 16 mins
Gaming	1 hour 46 mins
Social Media	1 hour 27 mins
Browsing Websites	51 mins
Other	29 mins
Video Chatting	20 mins
E-reading	15 mins
Content Creation	14 mins

Impact of Income on Teen Screen Time Income also influences screen time habits among American teenagers. Those from lower-income households, earning less than $35,000 annually, spend an average of 9 hours and 19 minutes daily on screens.

This is 2 hours and 3 minutes more than teenagers from higher-income households, with annual incomes over $100,000, who average 7 hours and 16 minutes of screen time daily.

Tracking Changes in Screen Time Across Different Countries

Screens are constantly in our lives, from phones and tablets to smartwatches and TVs. Most of these screens are connected to the internet, and overall internet usage is increasing.

Yet, the growth rate of screen time varies by country. Some nations have even experienced a decrease in screen time between 2023 and 2024. Here’s a look at how average screen time has changed from 2023 to 2024 in select countries:

Country	Change in Screen Time
UAE	↑ 42 minutes
Russia	↑ 24 minutes
Australia	↑ 23 minutes
India	↑ 22 minutes
New Zealand	↑ 17 minutes
UK	↑ 15 minutes
Ireland	↑ 14 minutes
Egypt	↑ 14 minutes
Israel	↑ 12 minutes
Malaysia	↑ 11 minutes
Japan	↑ 11 minutes
Germany	↑ 10 minutes
Denmark	↑ 10 minutes
Austria	↑ 9 minutes
China	↑ 8 minutes
Sweden	↑ 5 minutes
US	↑ 4 minutes
Global	↑ 3 minutes
Netherlands	↑ 3 minutes

Czechia	↑ 1 minute
Taiwan	↓ 1 minute
South Korea	↓ 2 minutes
Spain	↓ 3 minutes
Indonesia	↓ 4 minutes
France	↓ 4 minutes
Chile	↓ 5 minutes
Vietnam	↓ 5 minutes
Belgium	↓ 5 minutes
Switzerland	↓ 6 minutes
Italy	↓ 6 minutes
Portugal	↓ 7 minutes
Hong Kong	↓  7 minutes
Thailand	↓ 8 minutes
Singapore	↓ 10 minutes
Saudi Arabia	↓ 11 minutes
Greece	↓ 12 minutes
South Africa	↓ 14 minutes
Canada	↓ 17 minutes
Colombia	↓ 18 minutes
Brazil	↓ 19 minutes

Argentina	↓ 20 minutes
Philippines	↓ 22 minutes
Poland	↓ 25 minutes
Turkey	↓ 27 minutes
Mexico	↓ 30 minutes
Romania	↓ 32 minutes

Regional Variations in Average Screen Time

Screen time differs widely by region. Recent data from 43 countries shows that South Africa leads in daily screen time consumption. The Philippines, Brazil, and Colombia also have high averages, each exceeding 10 hours per day. Here’s a detailed look at 20 of the countries with the highest screen time usage:

Country	Total Screen Time	Mobile Screen Time	Computer Screen Time
South Africa	9 hours 24 mins	5 hours 15 mins	4 hours 9 mins
Brazil	9 hours 13 mins	5 hours 19 mins	3 hours 54 mins
Philippines	8 hours 52 mins	5 hours 20 mins	3 hours 32 mins
Colombia	8 hours 43 mins	4 hours 47 mins	3 hours 56 mins
Argentina	8 hours 41 mins	4 hours 37 mins	4 hours 5 mins
Chile	8 hours 31 mins	4 hours 48 mins	3 hours 42 mins
Russia	8 hours 21 mins	3 hours 51 mins	4 hours 24 mins
Malaysia	8 hours 17 mins	4 hours 37 mins	3 hours 40 mins
UAE	8 hours 11 mins	4 hours 34 mins	3 hours 38 mins
Egypt	7 hours 55 mins	4 hours 25 mins	3 hours 30 mins
Global Average	6 hours 40 mins	3 hours 50 mins	2 hours 50 mins

Global and Regional Screen Time Patterns On average, people spend 42% of their waking hours on screens. This number rises to about 60% in South Africa, while in Japan, it is much lower at just 25%.

Globally, screen time for social media and game consoles is increasing. In contrast, time spent watching traditional television, including streaming, is decreasing. Here are the global average screen time figures for various activities per day:

Screen Time Allocation	Q3 2022	Q3 2023	2022-2023 Change
Using Internet	6 hours 37 mins	6 hours 40 mins	↑ 0.8% (3 mins)
Watching TV (inc. streaming)	3 hours 23 mins	3 hours 6 mins	↓ 8.2% (17 mins)
Using Social Media	2 hours 31 mins	2 hours 23 mins	↓ 5.5% (8 mins)
Using a Games Console	1 hour 14 mins	1 hour 2 mins	↓ 16.7% (12 mins)

Here’s how the mentioned countries compare in terms of their screen time distribution:

Country	Daily Time Spent on Video Games	Daily Time Spent on Social Media
South Africa	1 hour 43 mins	52 mins
Brazil	3 hour 46 mins	1 hour 17 mins
Philippines	2 hour 16 mins	30 mins
Colombia	1 hour 53 mins	28 mins
Argentina	3 hours 15 mins	1 hour 1 min
Chile	1 hour 59 mins	1 hour 12 mins
Russia	1 hour 11 mins	32 mins
Malaysia	2 hours 15 mins	1 hour 2 mins
UAE	2 hours 58 mins	1 hour 17 mins
Egypt	1 hour 41 mins	51 mins
Global Average	2 hour 23 mins	1 hour 2 mins

Video Game Play Time by Country About 80% of people in China play video games, which is 6.2% below the global average. The average time spent on game consoles in China is 1 hour and 15 minutes per day, just 3 minutes more than the world average.

To address concerns about excessive screen time, the Chinese government is implementing a restriction that limits children’s gaming to three hours per week or just under 26 minutes per day.

Among other countries, Japan and Russia have average play times closest to this limit, at around 30 minutes per day. Israel has the lowest average, with just 19 minutes of daily gaming time.

Some More Stats

Children and Screen Time:

• In the U.S., screen time among children has increased dramatically post-pandemic. For instance, kids aged 8-18 now spend around 7.5 hours per day in front of screens for entertainment alone, an increase driven largely by platforms like YouTube and TikTok​.
• Nearly 41% of American teens (ages 13-18) have screen times exceeding 8 hours per day​.

Breakdown of Screen Time by Media:

• In the U.S., adults spend an average of 4 hours 37 minutes watching TV and 2 hours 21 minutes on smartphone apps/websites daily​.

Impact of the Pandemic:

• During the pandemic, screen time surged by 50-70%. Even years later, those increased levels are still prominent in both children and adults​.

Income’s Impact on Teen Screen Time:

• Teens from lower-income households (<$35,000) spend significantly more time on screens (9 hours 19 minutes per day) compared to those from higher-income families (7 hours 16 minutes per day).

Popular Apps and Time Spent:

• TikTok leads in app usage with an average of 67 minutes per day, followed by YouTube at 55 minutes​.

Conclusion

As screen time continues to rise globally, reflecting a significant part of daily life, notable variations exist across countries and age groups. While South Africa has the highest daily screen usage, regions like Japan have much lower averages. 

The increase in screen time is evident in mobile and computer use, with social media and gaming growing, whereas traditional TV viewing declines.

Age and income also influence screen time habits, with younger and lower-income groups typically spending more hours on screens. As technology evolves, understanding these trends helps us grasp the broader impact of our digital lives.