Average Screen Time Statistics 2026 (By Age & Country)

On average, people worldwide now spend 6 hours and 40 minutes daily on screens, rising to 9 hours and 24 minutes in countries like South Africa. U.S. adults spend an average of 7 hours and 2 minutes. Gen Z, on the other hand, has an average screen time of over 9 hours per day.

This article addresses your most pressing questions by breaking down average screen time by age (for adults and Gen Z), country, device, and more.

Screen Time Statistics 2026 (Top Picks)

• People worldwide spend about 6 hours and 54 minutes on screens every day.
• The average US screen time has reached 7 hours and 2 minutes.
• 41% of teenagers spend over 8 hours on screens each day.
• South Africans spend an average of 9 hours and 24 minutes on screens, the highest among all countries.
• The average person spends 2 hours and 21 minutes daily on social media.
• The average Gen Z individual spends around 9 hours per day on screens.
• An average American checks their phone 96 times every day.

Average Screen Time Statistics

The average person spends 6 hours and 54 minutes on their screen daily, totaling 47 hours and 55 minutes per week. This is a 2.22% increase compared to Q3 2024.

Additionally, average screen time for adults has decreased by 4.3% since 2021 but has risen by 8.4% since 2013.

Here is a table displaying the average screen time over the years:

Source: Data Reportal

Average Screen Time USA

An average adult in the United States spends approximately 7 hours and 2 minutes per day. 

The average American’s screen time has remained stable at around 7 minutes since 2021. 

Here is a table displaying the average time spent by US adults on the internet: 

Source: Data Reportal

According to estimates, US adults spend the majority of their screen time watching TV or playing video games.

Here is a table displaying the breakdown of the average daily screen time of US adults by activity:

Average Screen Time By Age

Female internet users aged 16 to 24 and male users aged 25 to 34 spend the most time on screen.

Conversely, female and male users aged 55 to 64 years spent 5 hours and 17 minutes and 5 hours and 14 minutes, respectively, on screen, amounting to the lowest screen time.

If we talk about generation, Gen Zs (aged between 13 and 28 years) spend over 9 hours every day, which is the most compared to other generations. 

Source: Data Reportal

How Much Time Do People Spend On The Internet Every Day?

The majority of screen time is spent on activities conducted online. Let’s take a look at how much time people spend on the internet in different countries.

• Currently, globally, the average time spent online is 6 hours and 40 minutes.

South Africans spend the most time online, averaging 9 hours and 24 minutes per day. Brazil follows closely with 9 hours and 13 minutes, while the Philippines ranks third with 8 hours and 52 minutes per day. 

Japan spends the least time on the internet, 3 hours and 56 minutes, every day.

Here is a table showing the countries with the most screen time:

Source: Ooma

Global Screen Time Stats Based On Type Of Viewing Devices

Smartphones are the invention of the century. You basically have the world in your palms. There is nothing a smartphone can’t do nowadays, and they are the major contributors to the increased screen time globally.

There are over 6.8 billion smartphone users in the world, and they are bound to increase as we move ahead.

Smartphones are the major contributors, but they aren’t the only ones. Let us take a look at screen time stats associated with different viewing devices, such as tablets and desktops.

Average Mobile Screen Time Around The Globe

• Globally, smartphones account for 53% of screen time.
• The global average time spent on mobile is 4 hours and 37 minutes as per the last data recorded. 

Here is a table showing the mobile screen time of some selected countries:

Source: Exploding Topics

Average Desktop Screen Time Around The Globe

• The total share of computer screen time in all screen time is 47%.
• Globally, the average total time spent on computer screens is 3 hours and 14 minutes as of 2023.

Here is a table showing the computer screen time of some selected countries.

Source: explodingtopics.com.

Average Streaming Services Screen Time

• In the United States, people spend 2 hours and 10 minutes on Hulu.
• In December 2025, overall television viewing habits reached a historic milestone as streaming captured an all-time record 47.5% share of total U.S. TV usage, surpassing its previous peak from July of that year.

According to Nielsen’s January 2026 report, this historic month was anchored by a record-breaking Christmas Day where U.S. audiences generated over 55 billion streaming minutes in a single day, driven by major NFL holiday broadcasts and high-profile content drops across Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Here is a table showing the streaming time of the top 4 streaming platforms:

Source: Slicktext.com, Nielsen

Sage Recommends: Read our detailed take on Netflix user demographics and insights.

Screen Time Statistics Based On Demographics

Let us get deeper into the demographics of screen time all over the world. I will uncover which age groups and generations contribute the most and least to the average screen time.

• 76% of Gen Z reported that they spend too much time on their smartphones. 

Here is a table showing the percentage of people who said they spent too much time on their smartphones by generation:

• Gen Z and Millennials’ gamer population spent 11 to 13 hours on gameplay weekly.
• The average screen time of the Gen Z population 9 hours. 

Here is a table showing the average screen time by generation. 

Related Reads: Generation Alpha Stats and Insights

Source: Magnet ABA Therapy

Average Social Media Screen Time Statistics

People spend an average of 2 hours and 31 minutes per day on social media. In this section, we will examine the statistics on average social media screen time in detail.

Here is a table showing the daily time spent on social media by users globally:

• TikTok is where most social media users spend the majority of their time.

TikTok is the fastest-growing social media platform. The platform’s user base stands at around 1.06 billion, and users spend an average of 1.5 hours per day on TikTok.

You Might Want To Check Our Detailed Research On Other Social Media Platforms

• Facebook Statistics
• Instagram User Stats
• Snapchat Statistics (2023)
• Twitter “X” Stats

Source: Statista, slicktext.com.

Screen Time And Children

The children born in this tech-savvy world are getting exposed to screens from a very young age. Let’s take a look at the screen time statistics of children across various age groups in this section.

• 74% of American parents say their two-year-old child watches TV.
• Children in the United States spent an average of 1 hour and 53 minutes on TikTok.

Here is a table showing the time spent by children on leading social media apps in the United States. 

• 60% of parents in the United States limit their children’s screen time.
• Twenty-seven percent of parents in the United States limit their children’s screen time every day.
• 15% of parents in the United States allowed their children less than one hour of daily screen time.
• 93% of children aged between 5 to 8 years old watch TV. 

Source: Statista, explodingtopics.com.

Screen Time And Health Statistics

Numerous studies have demonstrated a correlation between screen time and health, encompassing both physical and mental aspects.

Screen time has been linked to an increased risk of obesity. Screen time can also interfere with sleep. The blue light emitted from screens can suppress the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps to regulate sleep-wake cycles

Let’s examine the data that sheds light on this relationship.

• The recommended daily screen time is only 2 hours.
• Children under two years old should not have any screen time at all.
• 32% of users reported that their behavior was influenced by screen time. 

Here is a table showing the users’ opinions about the influence of screen time on their behavior. 

• 87% of children exceed the recommended screen time. 
• Obesity is the most associated disease with excessive screen time.

Screen time is often associated with spending long periods of time sitting or lying down. This behavior can lead to weight gain and obesity, which are risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

Here is a table showing the most associated diseases with excessive screen time:

Source: headphonesaddict.com, researchgate.net