Screen Time of Americans Above Global Average: StudyBy John P. Mello Jr.March 26, 2025 5:00 AM PT ADVERTISEMENTB2B Online Chicago Get in the GameGreat teams win with great plays. At B2B Online Chicago, youll get the strategies top eCommerce and digital marketing pros are using to drive growth. Dont sit on the sidelines - get in the game. Use code B2BCHI25PARTNER for 20% off. Americans spend an average of six hours and 40 minutes a day staring at the screens of their computers, phones, and other electronic devices.If that sounds like a lot, it is, but its only two minutes above the global average, according to a worldwide screen time study released Wednesday by Comparitech, a reviews, advice, and information website for consumer security products.While staring at screens for more than six hours a day may sound excessive, experts appear conflicted on the subject. It is hard to define what is excessive when it comes to screen time, especially as many of us rely on the use of screens for work, said Comparitech Head of Data Research Rebecca Moody.However, where things perhaps do become excessive is in their mobile screen time which isnt likely to come from work-related activities for the majority of people, she told TechNewsWorld.According to the study, Americans spend three hours and 22 minutes daily staring at mobile screens, slightly below the global average of three hours and 46 minutes.Titania Jordan, chief parent officer at Bark a parental control and monitoring solutions company in Atlanta and author of Parental Control: A Guide to Raising Balanced Kids in the Digital Era, explained that every person is different and depending on their work type, the amount of screen time will vary dramatically.One thing to keep in mind when gauging whether youre spending too much time on screens is if its interfering with other aspects of your life and how old you are, she told TechNewsWorld.Are you foregoing real-life hangouts? she asked. Is your work or school suffering? Are you getting enough quality sleep? Do you feel more anxious or depressed after doom-scrolling? All these factors come into play when figuring out your personal screen-time sweet spot.Is 6 Hours of Screen Time Too Much?To determine if an amount is too much or too little, we need to know what the damages and benefits to the individual are, added Rob Enderle, president and principal analyst at the Enderle Group, an advisory services firm.If this is making them less healthy, which I expect it likely is by causing eyesight degradation, issues resulting from the lack of exercise, socialization issues, and creating excessive political polarization then, yes, it is way too much time, he told TechNewsWorld.But there could be offsetting benefits, especially when facing multiple potential pandemics, as the isolation keeps them safer, and some may be more productive that way, he continued.In the end, though, for most, I expect this is extremely unhealthy, he added. Six hours of screen time is absolutely excessive for most people, argued Mark N. Vena, president and principal analyst with SmartTech Research in Las Vegas. Six and a half hours is nearly a third of the day, excluding sleep and work, much of it spent passively consuming content, he told TechNewsWorld.While some screen use is productive or relaxing, large daily totals suggest a displacement of healthier habits like exercise, in-person interaction, and sleep, he added. The concern isnt just the time but what that time replaces, which is something parents should focus on with their kids.Larry D. Rosen, professor emeritus at California State University, Dominguez Hills, who has written extensively on the psychology of technology and screen time, agreed that six-plus hours of screen time is excessive. It takes away from time spent interacting with people face to face, as well as limiting time spent doing non-screen activities, such as exercise or just allowing our brain to wander, he told TechNewsWorld.He added that the data hes gathered on mobile phone usage shows far more screen time than the average in the survey, with the majority spent connecting to others through social media and messaging.According to the survey, Americans spend an average of two hours and nine minutes a day on social media, slightly lower than the worldwide average of two hours and 21 minutes.It noted that the social media platforms that Americans are most fond of include YouTube, which is used by 85% of U.S. adults, Facebook (70%), Instagram (50%), Pinterest (36%), TikTok (33%) and LinkedIn (32%).Screen Time Higher in Developing RegionsOverall, according to the study, South Africans were the biggest screen consumers, spending nine hours and 27 minutes a day on screens. The biggest desktop screen consumers were the Russians, spending four hours and 31 minutes a day on screens, while Filipinos were the largest mobile screen consumers, spending five hours and 21 minutes a day on screens.On the whole, the study noted the biggest screen-time consumers were in Africa, Asia, and South America. [Screens have] become the primary source of news in the non-first-world countries since the Arab Spring, Rosen said.In many of these regions, its important to note that smartphones are the primary gateway to the internet, making screen use a central part of daily life, Vena explained. High youth populations and rapidly growing digital economies contribute to greater mobile engagement, he added. In some cases, there may be fewer accessible offline entertainment or public infrastructure options. Social media and streaming platforms also offer affordable entertainment where traditional media is limited or costly.Jordan noted that certain platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and WhatsApp are extremely popular in these areas, not only for social interaction but also for business exchanges and news consumption.Also, she continued, many of these countries skipped broadband and slower-growth internet completely, jumping quickly to mobile-connected devices and Wi-Fi. This, in turn, meant people in these regions had smartphones first as opposed to desktops and spent more time online due to the mobility of their devices.Global Screen Time Trends Shift DownwardComparitech researchers also found that more than half the countries in the study (27 of 49) reduced their screen time from last year. Hong Kong showed the largest reduction, slicing 50 minutes off its average, dropping from seven hours and 55 minutes to seven hours and 26 minutes.With more countries improving their screen time this year, the most obvious reason for a drop in screen time would be a continuation of normalcy, post-pandemic, the researchers noted.Also, they continued, people have become more aware of the negative impacts lengthy screen time has on their mental health.Furthermore, they added, advancements in technology, such as improved digital well-being features on smartphones and applications, may have contributed to the decrease in screen time by encouraging users to monitor and limit their screen usage.Many of us are becoming increasingly aware of the negative impacts of spending too much time looking at a screen and are perhaps consciously unplugging our devices for an hour or so before we go to sleep, Moody said. Alex Ambrose, a policy analyst with the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a research and public policy organization in Washington, D.C., noted that nations have tried to regulate screen time.Time-online policies are sometimes used as an attempt to lower screen times, but they are difficult for policymakers to enforce, she told TechNewsWorld. China, for example, instituted a three-hour-per-week limit for children playing video games. While 77% of children reduced their gaming time under this policy, 29% also reported using their parents accounts as a workaround to the time limit.Some platforms have taken voluntary steps to tackle any potential harms, with measures such as allowing users to limit their screen time and see screen-time reports, or notifying them to take a break whenever they have spent a certain amount of time on an app, she continued.Rather than implementing prescriptive policies that hinder user experience and leave little room for innovation, many technology companies instead adopt customizable user and parental control systems such as screen-time controls and prompts to take breaks after using the apps for extended periods of time, she added.John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.Leave a CommentClick here to cancel reply. Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.Related StoriesMore by John P. Mello Jr.view allMore in Internet