screen time

plural screen times · alternative screentime

1. countableuncountableThe duration for which something is visible on film or television.

   The wise old monk had little screen time compared with his buxom young disciple.

2. countableuncountableThe amount of time a person spends using screen-accessed technology (such as a television, a computer, a smartphone, etc.).

   The editorial advised parents of small children to limit their kids' screen time.

   5 more examples

   In many families, children are getting more screen time than the parents think is good for them, although it's probably less than the children want.

   2016, Noël Janis-Norton, Calmer Easier Happier Screen Time, Hachette UK, →ISBN

   Every single parent I know frets about “screen time”, and most are engaged in a struggle with a toddler over how much iPad is allowed.

   2018 March 4, Jamie Bartlett, “Will 2018 be the year of the neo-luddite?”, in The Guardian

   And then there is the radical impact that screen time and social media have had on the younger generation, something that previous generations have never experienced.

   2023 June 13, Bernie Sanders, “America is facing a mental health crisis”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

   This isn't fair. It's a vacation. Dad said on vacation we can have as much screen time as we want.

   2023, Sam Esmail, Rumaan Alam, Leave the World Behind, spoken by Rose

   When [Jean] Twenge started speaking out about screen time and social media, she was wary of recommending specific age restrictions to parents — something many experts, aside from her and [Jonathan] Haidt — remain loath to do.

   2025 September 6, Catherine Pearson, “She Started the Debate About Kids and Phones. Now She Wants to End It.”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 06 Sep 2025