Ever wondered whether your screen time is above average? This guide takes a look at how much time Americans spend in front of a screen compared to the rest of the world.
Worldwide, the average person spends a total of 6 hours and 38 minutes looking at a screen each day (for internet-connected activities). This includes 2 hours and 21 minutes of scrolling through social media channels, 1 hour and 25 minutes of streaming music, and 52 minutes of listening to podcasts. And the majority of this (3 hours and 46 minutes) is spent on mobiles.
But how does this worldwide average compare to the United States and other countries around the world? And how could another TikTok ban in the US affect Americans’ social media consumption?
Find out below.
The average American spends almost 7 hours looking at a screen each day
According to data from DataReportal, the average American spends 6 hours and 40 minutes looking at a screen every day. This is 2 minutes above average and more than 1 hour longer than the British who average 5 hours and 36 minutes of screen time per day. However, it is nearly 3 hours less than the biggest screen-time consumers, South Africans, who average around 9 hours and 37 minutes a day.
On the whole, the biggest screen-time consumers are located in Africa, Asia, and South America.
Which countries are spending the most time on their desktops and mobiles?
How do the top figures change when we look at desktop and mobile use?
The biggest desktop screen time consumers are Russians who average 4 hours and 31 minutes of screen time on their computers every day. Russians spend 5 minutes longer on their computers than the second highest computer-screen users, South Africa, who this year spent an average of 4 hours and 26 minutes on their desktops.
Worldwide, the average user spends 2 hours and 52 minutes looking at their computer screens and 3 hours and 46 minutes looking at their mobiles. Both mobile and computer screen use remains very similar to 2024’s figures (increasing by just 2 minutes for computer screen use and decreasing by 4 minutes for mobile use).
Americans are above average for their desktop screen consumption (3 hours and 18 minutes) but are just below average for their mobile consumption 3 hours and 22 minutes). Across the pond, though, Britons spend longer on their desktops (2 hours and 57 minutes a day) compared to mobiles (18 minutes less at 2 hours and 39 minutes per day).
Filipinos are the biggest mobile screen consumers, spending 5 hours and 21 minutes a day looking at them (an increase of 1 minute compared to 2024’s average in the Philippines). They’re closely followed by Brazilian and South African users, who spend 5 hours and 12 minutes and 5 hours and 11 minutes daily on their mobile screens, respectively. However, both countries saw a year-on-year decline, with usage dropping by 7 minutes in Brazil and 4 minutes in South Africa.
So, just how much time are we dedicating to our screens?
If the average person sleeps for 8 hours, this means we’re spending nearly 42 percent of our waking hours looking at a screen. South Africans, however, are spending over 60 percent of their wakeful hours on a computer or mobile. At the other end of the scale are the Japanese who spend almost 26 percent of their wakeful hours looking at a screen.
But why are screentime hours increasing and which countries improved their screen time?
The majority of countries (27 out of the total 49) did improve on their screen time this year. Hong Kong saw the biggest improvement where the average person slashed their screen time consumption by 50 minutes (from 6 hours and 19 minutes to 5 hours and 29 minutes).
22 other countries spent longer on the screens compared to last year though. People in Russia increased their screen time the most – by 17 minutes (from 8 hours and 21 minutes to 8 hours and 38 minutes). Turkey had the second-worst increase at 16 minutes (from 6 hours and 57 minutes to 7 hours and 13 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. Also, people have become more aware of the negative impacts lengthy screen time has on their mental health. Furthermore, 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.
Despite being among the biggest screen time consumers, Egyptians improved their screen time use by 29 minutes (from 7 hours and 55 minutes to 7 hours and 26 minutes). Other countries that improved their screen time by large amounts include Greece (by 27 minutes), the UK (by 26 minutes), and the US and Croatia (by 23 minutes each).
Worldwide, the average person spends 2 hours and 21 minutes on social media each day. Americans consume less than this, averaging 2 hours and 9 minutes per day. And the biggest consumers are Chileans, spending 3 hours and 39 minutes per day on social media.
But which country is spending the largest chunk of its screen time on social media?
Saudi Arabians spend the largest proportion of their daily screen time (42.89%) consuming social media. This is closely followed by Indonesians (42.63%). These figures aren’t too far from the average, however, which is 35.43 percent.
32.25 percent of Americans’ screen time is taken up with social media (2 hours and 9 minutes). This is more than the British who consume 1 hour and 37 minutes of social media per day on average (this is just under 30 percent of their overall screen time).
The social media platforms that Americans are most fond of include YouTube, which is used by 85 percent of US adults, Facebook (70%), Instagram (50%), Pinterest (36%), TikTok (33%), and LinkedIn (32%).
In April 2024, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act was signed into law, mandating that ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, sell the platform or face a ban. Despite legal challenges, the US Supreme Court upheld the law in January 2025, leading to TikTok’s shutdown in the United States on January 18, 2025. However, shortly after, President Trump issued an executive order granting ByteDance a 75-day extension to facilitate a potential sale, temporarily restoring TikTok’s services. This extension is set to expire in early April 2025. TikTok opposes the forced sale, citing concerns over freedom of speech and the economic impact on the 170 million Americans and 7 million small businesses that use the platform. The situation remains ongoing at the time of writing.
Elsewhere, the high consumption of social media in South American, Asian, and African countries is reflected in the large number of social media accounts people in these countries tend to have. With South Africans having over 8 accounts on average, it’s not hard to see why they need 3 hours and 36 minutes to digest all of the information on there!
People in the UAE do have a higher average number of social media accounts (8.62) but spend around 37 minutes less per day on there than South Africans (2 hours 59 minutes). Other countries with high social media accounts include the Philippines (8.36), Malaysia (8.12), and Indonesia (7.93).
The average person worldwide had 6.83 accounts, a slight increase compared to 6.7 accounts from the last year. The United States had a similar figure to the global average at 6.48, while the United Kingdom, once again, fell below average with 6.14 accounts.
91% of Americans stream TV on the internet
Another huge portion of screen time in most countries is dedicated to streaming TV. On average, 91.9 percent of people will use the internet to stream their favorite TV shows and movies.
Chileans, along with Filipinos, had the highest proportion of people using the internet to stream TV with a massive 98.1 percent of the population doing so. This is closely followed by people from Greece (97.8%), Mexico (97.8%), and South Africa (97.5%).
Which countries are listening to the most podcasts and streaming the most music?
By percentage of internet users, Indonesians were the most likely to listen to podcasts with 42.6 percent of users tuning in to their favorite podcasts for an average of 1 hour and 4 minutes per day. But it’s Egyptians who are listening for the most amount of time per day (listening for 1 hour and 32 minutes on average). Globally, 22.1 percent of internet users tune into podcasts for an average of 52 minutes per day.
Meanwhile, South Africans boast the highest percentage of internet users listening to music streaming services with 53.7 percent. They are listening for an average of 2 hours and 17 minutes per day. The biggest consumers are, however, in Mexico, where users average 2 hours and 20 minutes per day. Around the globe, 38.2 percent of internet users are listening to music for an average of 1 hour and 25 minutes per day (the same duration as last year).
As for Americans, 45.3 percent of internet users are listening to music on streaming services for an average of 1 hour and 46 minutes a day – a slight decline from last year. By comparison, people in the UK spend significantly less time streaming music, averaging 1 hour and 7 minutes per day, and with nearly 10% fewer users (35.8%) engaging in this habit.
Other top internet-based activities
People are using the internet in a variety of ways today, from online learning through videos and watching vlogs to accessing financial services and checking health symptoms. Many also rely on voice assistants for information, buy groceries online, or simply enjoy mobile video calls.
On average:
- 40.2 percent of internet users watch online videos as a source of learning (including how-to videos, tutorial videos, or educational videos) each week
- 23.3 percent of internet users watch vlogs each week
- 22.6 percent of internet users check their health symptoms online each week
- 37.8 percent of internet users, use the internet for financial services (including banking, investment, or insurance websites/apps) each month
This year’s DataReport study has also revealed that:
- 20.6 percent of internet users worldwide use voice assistants to find information on a weekly basis
- 27 percent of internet users use image recognition tools on their mobile devices each month
- 94.5 percent of internet users benefit from chat and messaging services each month
- 75 percent of internet users send and receive emails each month
- Over one-third of the internet population (35.5%) engage in mobile video calling each month
- Over half of internet users (55.8%) enjoy weekly online purchases
- In comparison, weekly online grocery purchases are performed by 27.3% of online users
- 23.3% of internet users access digital health and fitness services each month
Filipinos aren’t just the biggest vlog users (48.3% of internet users are consuming this type of online content) but also have a high percentage of internet users (58.1%) using online videos as a source of learning. However, South Africans surpass them in this category, with 58.5% using online videos as an educational resource.
Filipinos also had the highest percentage of internet users who made use of a banking, investment, or insurance website app each month (a whopping 91.3%). And Colombians have the biggest percentage (36.7%) of internet users checking health symptoms online each week!
Serbia, a newcomer on the list, ranked high in two categories, coming joint-second for its use of chat and messaging services (99% use this each month) and fourth for email usage (95% of users using each month). However, when it comes to time spent on game consoles, Serbia ranked third from last, with Serbians spending just 33 minutes per day on this activity.
As you can see from the above table, there is little correlation (if any) between screen time amounts and internet speeds. Therefore, higher consumption isn’t necessarily caused by slow internet speeds and waiting for pages to load.
Best practices to reduce your screen time
In an age dominated by screens, it is no secret that managing screen time has become an essential aspect of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Here are some best practices for reducing your screen time:
- Set clear boundaries: Establish certain times throughout the day when screens are off-limits, such as during meals or before bedtime.
- Prioritize offline activities: Make a strong effort to engage in activities that don’t involve screens, such as reading a book, physical activity, or finding a new hobby.
- Utilize screen time management tools: Take full advantage of built-in features contained in smartphones and apps to track screen time use and set daily limit reminders.
- Create screen-free zones: Around your house, designate certain areas that are off-limits for digital use. Instead practice mindfulness, to encourage relaxation, conversation, or quality time with loved ones.
- Be consistent: The hardest part is to be consistent. Making less screen time part of your routine will help to create healthier habits.
Methodology
Using the data available from DataReportal.com, we looked at the varying screen times by device and activity to create viewing times for each country and to calculate the percentage of time people spend looking at their devices.
This year, Serbia has been added to the list of countries.
Data researcher: Danka Delić
Really useful article!