Your screen time in perspective
A few hours a day on a phone does not feel like much, but it adds up. Surveys put the average American’s smartphone time at around 4 to 5 hours a day. Your phone’s own reports (Screen Time on iPhone, Digital Wellbeing on Android) show your real figure.
How the calculator works
- Hours per year = daily hours × 365
- Years over the rest of your life = daily hours × 365 × (life expectancy − age) ÷ (24 × 365)
- Share of waking time = daily hours ÷ waking hours
- Books per year with your target reduction = hours saved per year ÷ hours per book
Life expectancy at birth in the US is about 79 years; your own depends on age, sex and health, so adjust it as you like.
Example
At 4 hours a day, you spend about 1,460 hours, or 61 full days, a year on your phone. From age 30 to 79, that adds up to about 8 years, a quarter of your waking hours. Cutting just 1 hour a day frees enough time to read about 60 books a year, or about 2 years over a lifetime.
Not all screen time is equal
Video calls with family, learning a language or reading on a tablet are not the same as endless scrolling. Researchers find the strongest links between heavy social media use and poorer sleep, mood and attention, especially in teenagers. The aim is less to hit a number than to choose how you spend the time.
Ways to cut back
- Turn off non-essential notifications and keep the home screen for useful apps only.
- Set app limits for social media and video apps.
- Keep the phone out of the bedroom and use a regular alarm clock.
- Switch the screen to grayscale, which makes apps less appealing.
- Plan screen-free times, such as meals or the first hour of the day.
For children
The American Academy of Pediatrics advises avoiding screens other than video chat before 18 months, limiting screen time to about one hour a day of quality programs from 2 to 5 years, and making a family media plan for older children.