The average person worldwide spends 6 hours and 54 minutes on screens every day — nearly 48 hours a week. In the US that sits at 7 hours and 2 minutes. Teenagers average over 8 hours, and Gen Z tops 9 hours daily. Here’s what the latest data tells us.
Key Screen Time Statistics at a Glance (2026)
- The global average screen time is 6 hours 54 minutes per day
- US adults average 7 hours 2 minutes daily on screens
- Teenagers (13–18) average 8 hours 39 minutes per day
- Gen Z spends over 9 hours on screens every day
- South Africa leads the world with 9 hours 24 minutes of daily screen time
- The average person spends 2 hours 31 minutes per day on social media
- 87% of children exceed the recommended daily screen time limits
- About 1 in 4 teens with high screen time show symptoms of anxiety or depression
Global Average Screen Time (2013–2026)
Screen time has risen 8.4% since 2013, with the steepest jump in 2020 when lockdowns pushed usage up by over 4% in a single year. Since then, growth has moderated but hasn’t reversed.
| Year | Global Avg Screen Time | Annual Change |
| Q3 2013 | 6h 09m | — |
| Q3 2015 | 6h 20m | -0.8% |
| Q3 2017 | 6h 46m | +4.3% |
| Q3 2019 | 6h 38m | -2.4% |
| Q3 2020 | 6h 54m | +4.2% |
| Q3 2021 | 6h 58m | +0.8% |
| Q3 2022 | 6h 36m | -5.1% |
| Q3 2024 | 6h 45m | +1.25% |
| Q3 2025 | 6h 54m | +2.22% |
US adults spend most of their screen time watching TV or videos (3h 16m), followed by gaming (1h 46m) and social media (1h 27m). The weekly equivalent is roughly 47 hours and 55 minutes — more time than most people spend at a full-time job.
Screen Time by Age Group
Screen time climbs sharply from infancy through adolescence. Children under two average just over an hour per day. By ages 5–8 that reaches 3 hours 38 minutes, and by the tween years it more than doubles again.
Early childhood (2–8 years)
Children aged 2 to 4 average 2 hours and 8 minutes per day, while 5 to 8 year-olds average 3 hours and 38 minutes. TV and video viewing dominates at 60% of usage, followed by gaming at 26%. Boys in this age range spend about 30 more minutes per day on screens than girls, a gap driven largely by gaming time.
Tweens (8–13 years)
Children aged 8 to 12 average 5 hours and 33 minutes per day — more than double what they used as young children. Social media begins here: 38% of tweens had used it by 2021 and 18% used it daily, spending around 18 minutes a day on Snapchat, Instagram, and Discord.
| Group | Daily Screen Time |
| Tween boys (8–12) | 6h 11m |
| Tween girls (8–12) | 4h 55m |
Teens (13–18 years)
Teenagers averaged 8 hours and 39 minutes of media use per day, excluding schoolwork. CDC data from 2021–2023 shows 50.4% of teens aged 12–17 had 4 or more hours of daily screen time on a typical weekday — rising to 55% among 15–17 year-olds.
The data also varies by race and ethnicity:
| Group | 4+ Hours Daily Screen Time |
| Black (non-Hispanic) | 60.4% |
| Hispanic | 52.8% |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 47.9% |
| Asian (non-Hispanic) | 43.5% |
79% of teens describe themselves as regular social media users, spending around 1.5 hours per day on platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok.
Adults (18–64 years)
Screen time declines steadily with age. Here’s the breakdown by age group and gender:
| Age Group | Female | Male |
| 16–24 | 7h 32m | 7h 07m |
| 25–34 | 7h 03m | 7h 13m |
| 35–44 | 6h 25m | 6h 40m |
| 45–54 | 6h 09m | 6h 05m |
| 55–64 | 5h 17m | 5h 14m |
Screen Time by Generation
As noted indata from Wikipedia’s overview of screen time research, smartphones and tablets have now overtaken television as the dominant screens for younger cohorts — a shift that shows clearly in generational averages.
| Generation | Avg Daily Screen Time |
| Gen Z (born ~1997–2012) | 9h 00m |
| Millennials (born ~1981–1996) | 6h 42m |
| Gen X (born ~1965–1980) | 4h 10m |
| Baby Boomers (born ~1946–1964) | 3h 31m |
The gap between Gen Z and Boomers is nearly 5.5 hours per day. What makes this striking is that 76% of Gen Z say they spend too much time on their phones — compared to 51% of Boomers. Awareness hasn’t translated into reduction. Gen Z and Millennials also spend 11–13 hours per week on gaming alone.
Screen Time by Country
South Africa leads all nations at 9 hours and 24 minutes per day. Brazil (9h 13m) and the Philippines (8h 52m) follow. At the other end, Japan clocks just 3 hours and 56 minutes — a gap shaped by cultural norms, commuting habits, and internet infrastructure.
| Rank | Country | Avg Daily Screen Time |
| 1 | South Africa | 9h 24m |
| 2 | Brazil | 9h 13m |
| 3 | Philippines | 8h 52m |
| 4 | Colombia | 8h 43m |
| 5 | Argentina | 8h 41m |
| 6 | Chile | 8h 31m |
| 7 | Russia | 8h 21m |
| 8 | Malaysia | 8h 17m |
| 9 | UAE | 8h 11m |
| 10 | Thailand | 7h 58m |
| 11 | Egypt | 7h 55m |
| 12 | Indonesia | 7h 38m |
| 13 | Mexico | 7h 37m |
| 14 | Portugal | 7h 30m |
| 15 | USA | 7h 03m |
The US ranks 19th globally — lower than most people expect. Latin American and Southeast Asian countries dominate the top spots, driven by younger demographics and mobile-first internet adoption.
Screen Time by Device
Smartphones account for 53% of all global screen time, averaging 4 hours and 37 minutes per day on mobile. Desktop and laptop screens make up the remaining 47%, averaging 3 hours 14 minutes globally.
The average American checks their phone 96 times per day — roughly once every 10 minutes during waking hours. Countries with the highest mobile screen time include Ghana (5h 43m), the Philippines (5h 21m), and Brazil (5h 12m).
Streaming platforms are a growing slice of total screen time. Here’s how US daily viewing breaks down by platform:
| Platform | Avg Daily Viewing Time |
| Hulu | 2h 10m |
| Netflix | 1h 50m |
| Amazon Prime | 1h 37m |
| Disney+ | 1h 29m |
Social Media Screen Time
Social media usage has grown 68% since 2012, rising from 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours and 31 minutes per day in 2025 — with the sharpest growth between 2015 and 2018 as smartphones became ubiquitous.
Children in the US are spending surprisingly long sessions on social platforms. TikTok leads by a wide margin:
| Platform | Avg Daily Time — Children |
| TikTok | 1h 53m |
| Snapchat | 1h 30m |
| 20m | |
| 18m | |
| 13m |
Among US adults, the most-used platforms are YouTube (84%), Facebook (71%), Instagram (50%), and TikTok (37%). Adults aged 18–29 skew heavily toward Instagram and TikTok; adults aged 30–49 shift toward Facebook.
Screen Time and Health
Mental health
The CDC’s National Health Interview Survey found teenagers with 4+ hours of daily screen time are significantly more likely to experience mental health symptoms in the past two weeks:
| Symptom | 4+ Hours | Under 4 Hours |
| Anxiety | 27.1% | 12.3% |
| Depression | 25.9% | 9.5% |
That’s more than double the anxiety rate and nearly triple the depression rate compared to lower-screen-time peers. The association holds consistently across multiple independent studies.
Physical health and sleep
Excessive screen time is linked to a range of physical health outcomes through sedentary behavior:
| Associated Health Risk | Share Linked to Excessive Screen Time |
| Obesity | 23% |
| Type 2 diabetes | 15% |
| Heart disease | 12% |
| Stroke | 10% |
| Cancer | 7% |
| Depression | 6% |
| Anxiety | 5% |
As reported by The Guardian’s coverage of screen time and adolescent wellbeing, blue light from screens suppresses melatonin production, disrupting the sleep-wake cycle — an effect particularly pronounced in teenagers, who are already prone to delayed sleep onset. Long hours on screens often mean long hours sitting, which compounds metabolic risk over time. 87% of children already exceed recommended limits, yet only 32% of users believe screen time has meaningfully influenced their behavior.
Recommended Screen Time Guidelines
Here’s what the American Academy of Pediatrics and major health organizations recommend by age:
| Age Group | Recommended Screen Time |
| Under 18 months | None (except video chatting) |
| 18–24 months | High-quality content only, with a parent |
| 2–5 years | Up to 1 hour per day |
| 6 years and older | Consistent limits; screens should not displace sleep, physical activity, or homework |
| Adults | No more than 2 hours of recreational screen time per day |
Despite these guidelines, reality looks very different. Children aged 5–8 are already averaging 3 hours 38 minutes — more than triple the recommended limit for their age group. For adults, the 2-hour recreational guideline is exceeded almost universally.
In practice, 60% of US parents say they set limits, 27% do so every day, and 15% allow their child under 1 hour daily. But 74% say their two-year-old already watches TV regularly. The gap between intent and reality is wide, and even parents who set limits often find them difficult to enforce consistently.
Conclusion
Screen time in 2026 is a mainstream reality affecting every age group and every country. The global average of nearly 7 hours per day is striking — but 87% of children exceeding recommended limits and 1 in 4 high-screen-time teens showing anxiety symptoms makes the picture more urgent. The data argues not for abandoning screens, but for using them with intention.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average screen time per day?
The global average is 6 hours 54 minutes as of 2025. US adults average 7 hours 2 minutes. Teenagers exceed 8 hours and Gen Z tops 9 hours per day.
What age group has the highest screen time?
Gen Z averages over 9 hours daily — the highest of any generation. Among named age brackets, teenagers aged 13–18 average 8 hours 39 minutes, the highest in national survey data.
Does screen time cause anxiety and depression?
CDC data shows teens with 4+ daily hours of screen time are more than twice as likely to report anxiety (27.1% vs 12.3%) and nearly three times as likely to report depression (25.9% vs 9.5%). The association is strong; causality is still being studied.
Which country has the most screen time?
South Africa leads at 9 hours 24 minutes per day. Brazil (9h 13m) and the Philippines (8h 52m) follow. Japan records the lowest at 3 hours 56 minutes.