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77 screen time statistics: The reality of screen addiction [2024]
Here comes a big question. Are we really addicted to our screens?
April, 17 2024
15min
A survey conducted in July 2023 by Reviews.org reported that 56.9% of participants admitted to being addicted to their cell phones.
And that doesn’t even include the other screens such as computers, tablets, and televisions. So, how do you know you’re indulging in too much screen time? And what is excess screen time doing to our minds and bodies?
We’ve compiled a list of 77 screen time statistics (phew) to paint a larger picture of our screen consumption habits. If you’re keen to find out the effect screens have on us, how much screen time is appropriate, and ways we can effectively reduce our screen time, read on.
Key takeaways
Mobile phone users worldwide spend a daily average of 5 hours on their phones.
The average user spends 6 hours and 37 minutes using the internet (on any device) each day, and in 2022, people spent an average of 2 hours and 31 minutes on social media per day.
The CDC reports that children between the ages of 11 and 14 have a daily average of 9 screen time hours — the highest of all youth.
Stress levels for people who always use a screen upon waking up are 23.52% higher than those who do not use their screens first thing in the morning.
Let’s be real with each other — we all love our screens. Between our phones, laptops, and televisions, there are endless hours of entertainment just waiting for us. But is this relationship with our screens healthy? And how much time are we spending with our screens now that the internet is so accessible?
Let’s check out some broad screen time statistics before we dive into the specifics.
The cell phone is the most commonly used device, with 91% of people in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Spain owning one. (Back Market)
Thirty-six percent of people in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and the United States use at least 5 tech devices over 3 times a week. This is even more prevalent in Germany at 56%. (Back Market)
The average user spends about 6 hours and 37 minutes using the internet (in any form or device) each day. (Data Reportal)
In 2022, there was a 4.8% decrease in the average time people spent on the internet from the year before. (Data Reportal)
The longest average daily time spent on the internet was 6 hours and 57 minutes, which was recorded in 2021. (Data Reportal)
Worldwide mobile phone users spend an average of 5 hours and 1 minute on their phones each day. (Data Reportal)
On average, worldwide internet users spend 56.9% of their time on the internet through their mobile devices and the other 43.1% on their computers. (Data Reportal)
There are 5.44 billion unique mobile phone users worldwide. (Data Reportal)
The average smartphone user consumes 15 GB of data per month. (Data Reportal)
Social media screen time statistics
Even if you’re not actively posting on social media, you probably have multiple social accounts for pure entertainment (we’re right there with you). Social media consumption picked up in the 2000s when websites like Facebook and MySpace were growing in popularity.
Social media has only become more accessible since. Think about it: You used to have to log onto a computer just to poke a friend on Facebook. Now, we’re scrolling through millions of videos on our phones.
We’re spending over 2 hours a day on average scrolling through our socials, with no indication that we’re slowing down.
Smartphones are incredibly popular — 89% of people in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Spain own a smartphone. (Back Market)
There were 4.76 billion active social media users as of 2022, 59.4% of the world’s population. (Data Reportal)
The average social media user aged 16 to 64 spends approximately 2 hours and 31 minutes on social media each day. (Data Reportal)
In 2013, people spent an average of 1 hour and 37 minutes on social media each day, which increased 46.1% by 2022. (Data Reportal)
TikTok was the most used social media app among Android users. On average, users spent 23.5 hours on TikTok each month in 2022. (Data Reportal)
YouTube was the second most used social app among Android users. On average, users spent 23.1 hours on YouTube each month in 2022. (Data Reportal)
Facebook was the third most used social media app among Android users. On average, users spend 19.7 hours on Facebook in 2022. (Data Reportal)
Unsurprisingly, Instagram is the most popular social media app for American teens (ages 13 to 18), with 53% reporting that they have used the app at least once. (Common Sense Media)
A 2021 study of 667 iPhone users revealed that the average iPhone user spends about 1 hour and 23 minutes per day on social media. (SolitareD)
The same study found that iPhone users’ top social apps were TikTok and Twitter, spending an average of 1 hour and 36 minutes on either app. (SolitareD)
Average screen time by age
It probably comes as no surprise that younger generations, such as Generation Z and Millennials, spend the most time behind screens. But truthfully, other generations aren’t far behind.
Here are some of the top screen time statistics by age.
Gen Z (16%) is the most likely age group to receive smartphones as gifts from friends and family compared to older generations. (Back Market)
Females between the ages of 16 and 64 are more likely to spend more time on social media than males within the same age range. (Data Reportal)
The CDC reports that youth between ages 11 and 14 use the most screen time of all youth, with an average of 9 hours a day. (CDC)
Teenagers between the ages of 15 and 18 use an average of 7 and a half hours of screen time per day. (CDC)
Youth between the ages of 8 and 10 spend about 6 hours per day in front of a screen. (CDC)
A survey of 992 parents revealed that 74% gave their kids tech when they were 5 years old or younger. (My Vision)
The same survey reported that 24% of parents gave their kids tech when they were 1 year old or younger. (My Vision)
Teens (ages 13 to 18) in the United States spend most of their screen time watching television or online videos — a daily average of 2 hours and 16 minutes. (Common Sense Media)
Teens in the United States spend a daily average of 1 hour and 46 minutes playing video games. (Common Sense Media)
American teens spend a daily average of 1 hour and 27 minutes on social media. (Common Sense Media)
American tweens (ages 8 to 12) are becoming more active on social media, with 38% of tweens using some form of social media. (Common Sense Media)
18% of tweens who are active on social media claim to use it every day. (Common Sense Media)
Average screen time by country
We’ve been talking about screen time like it’s accessible to everyone across the world. But the reality is that plenty of countries have a low internet adoption rate and are very limited in the technology they have access to. Let’s look at the statistics surrounding the countries with the lowest and highest internet adoption rates.
Countries within the United Kingdom and European Union have the highest internet adoption levels, with Ireland at a 99% adoption rate. (Data Reportal)
North Korea is the least connected country, with 99.5% of all North Koreans having no access to the internet. (Data Reportal)
When considering the country’s population, India has the largest unconnected population, with 730 million residents (51.3%) not using the internet. (Data Reportal)
However, we should note that a large population of connected individuals or a high adoption rate doesn’t mean that the country has the highest average amount of screen time.
Check out these statistics on the top 10 countries with the highest average daily time spent using the internet and mobile phones.
Okay, so we all love our smartphones … and our computers … and our streaming devices … and our video games. So, how exactly are we using our time behind these screens? Would you have guessed that, on average, we spend most of our time watching some form of television?
Check out these interesting statistics on the most widely used screens.
In the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Spain, the majority of people own at least 1 television, 82% own a computer, and 44% own a game console. (Back Market)
Forty-four percent of parents in the United Kingdom have older smartphone models than their children. (Back Market)
Android users generate the most web page requests from mobile devices, with 71.96% of all mobile web page requests. (Data Reportal)
iPhone users generate 27.48% of all mobile web page requests. (Data Reportal)
Samsung OS, Kai OS, and other OS devices generate less than 1% of all mobile web page requests. (Data Reportal)
Of the population’s internet users, 58% of users aged 16 to 64 own a laptop or desktop computer, 33.7% own a tablet, and 20.3% own a game console. (Data Reportal)
The average console gamer spends about one hour and 14 minutes gaming each day. (Data Reportal)
Of the population’s internet users, 16.5% of users aged 16 to 64 own a streaming device, such as a smart television. (Data Reportal)
Reports show that 90.9% of the world’s internet-using population between the ages of 16 and 64 watch television content via streaming services each month. (Data Reportal)
The average watcher aged 16 to 64 spends about 2 hours and 23 minutes watching television (broadcast or streaming) each day. (Data Reportal)
Statistics on screen time and sleep
Now, we’ve arrived at the question we’ve all been asking. Do our screens really affect our sleep? The short answer is yes, they do. But don’t just take our word for it. Check out these statistics and results from surveys about sleep and screens.
In a study of 1,000 Americans, 88.6% of participants claimed that they look at their phone within 10 minutes of waking up. (reviews.org)
The same study found that 60% of Americans sleep with their phones with them at night. (reviews.org)
In a different survey, data suggested that screens keep American adults awake on an average of 2.42 nights a week. (Sleepopolis)
Gen Z is most likely to use social media right before bed, with 78.28% of Gen Z respondents admitting they use it every night. (Sleepopolis)
Baby boomers are the least likely to use social media right before bed; however, 40% of Baby Boomer respondents admitted to using it every night. (Sleepopolis)
According to the survey, 40.9% of Gen Z respondents attempted to give up screens before bed, but 87.45% also admitted it would be difficult to give up their screen time before bed. (Sleepopolis)
The results of the Sleepopolis survey show that the stress level for respondents who always use a screen upon waking up is 23.52% higher than those who do not use their screens right away. (Sleepopolis)
Additionally, stress levels for respondents who always use their screens before bed are 29.74% higher than those who never use a screen right before falling asleep. (Sleepopolis)
How much screen time is too much?
We can’t get rid of screens altogether. After all, someone had to stare at a screen while writing this very article — and you’re staring at a screen right now. But we also know that excessive screen time isn’t good for our physical or mental health.
Various studies have proven that too much screen time leads to increases in stress, anxiety, and depression for both children and adults. It is also putting us more at risk of obesity and cardiovascular disorders due to our screens creating more of a sedentary lifestyle.
According to the National Institutes of Health, we should strive for only 2 hours of screen time per day outside of work or school.
5 ways to reduce your screen time
At the end of the day, our screens are a daily staple in our lives, and there’s no permanent solution to avoiding them — and that’s okay. But for the sake of your mental and physical well-being, we can all make an active effort to reduce our screen time with these tips:
Track your screen time. If you have an iPhone, chances are you already receive a weekly report on your screen time. And since nothing motivates you more than competition, try competing with yourself (or your friends) to see how much you can lower your screen time from the week before.
Pick up a non-screen hobby. A lot of our hobbies take place behind a screen. So try picking one up that doesn’t involve a screen at all. Like hiking, swimming, or knitting. Someone on BookTok told us that reading is all the rage right now, so maybe we’ll give that a try.
Dedicate an hour a day to live without screens. Simply reducing your time in front of a screen can have a myriad of health benefits. Set aside all screens for a set period each day and practice living in the moment.
Avoid screens before and after sleeping. If you can avoid your phone, television set, or computer screen for only 30 minutes before bed and 30 minutes in the morning, you can reduce your screen time for a full hour per day and potentially lower your stress levels (remember those last statistics?).
Practice the 20-20-20 rule. After every 20 minutes of looking at a screen, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This rule can help reduce eye strain and help you spend less time looking directly at the screen.
While screens can be harmful if you overuse them, they are also an essential part of the modern human experience. We need them for school, work, and, on occasion, our downtime. So the next time you’re in the market for a phone, laptop, or any other tech, Back Market has plenty of verified refurbished, wallet- and earth-friendly tech.
Check out our deals on tech now to score everything you need at a stellar price.
Methodology
Ipsos conducted a survey commissioned by Back Market to gain insight into consumer technology and consumption habits. The study’s objective was to pinpoint overarching patterns and trends in demographic and attitudinal behavior across 5 countries: Spain, France, Germany, the UK, and the US.
Target
The general public, between the ages of 16-74 years old, selected using the quota method
A representative sample of the population of each country (criteria and sources based on official national data: gender, age and socioeconomic category)
Data collection
Sample achieved: 2,000 interviews per country (10,001 interviews in total)
Online (CAWI): from the online Ipsos panels
Questionnaire length: 15 min (15-20 questions)
Master questionnaire in English translated in 3 languages, French, Spanish and German
Working with a partner translation agency
Translated questionnaires reviewed by our colleagues from each country surveyed
Statistical analysis
Weighting (method: Rim Weighting)
Based on official national data: gender, age, region and socioeconomic category
Social media screen time statistics
Even if you’re not actively posting on social media, you probably have multiple social accounts for pure entertainment (we’re right there with you). Social media consumption picked up in the 2000s when websites like Facebook and MySpace were growing in popularity.
Social media has only become more accessible since. Think about it: You used to have to log onto a computer just to poke a friend on Facebook. Now, we’re scrolling through millions of videos on our phones.
We’re spending over 2 hours a day on average scrolling through our socials, with no indication that we’re slowing down.