screen time

noun

1

: the amount of time someone or something appears on screen in a movie or television show

… the widespread practice of product placement (in which companies buy screen time for their brands) …

—Celia Wren

Peck's role is only a cameo—23 minutes of screen time scattered through six and a half hours of edited film …

—John Skow

2

: time spent watching television, playing a video game, or using an electronic device with a screen (such as a smartphone or tablet)

Concerns about children spending too much time on digital devices—'screen time'—and becoming overdependent on these devices are very real for many teachers and parents.

—Nicky Hockly

If yours is like most American families with kids under age 5, your child probably watches between three and four hours of television a day. That's a lot of screen time …

—Debra Kent

Examples of screen time in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The push for cellphone bans has been driven by concerns about the impact screen time has on children’s mental health and complaints from teachers that cellphones have become a constant distraction in the classroom. —Andrew Demillo, The Denver Post, 25 Jan. 2025

The deal’s Roblox game component puts MVP Kids squarely in the digital playground where today’s young audiences spend their screen time. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 22 Jan. 2025

For anyone who is interested in cutting their screen time, though, here are a few expert tips on starting a digital detox that isn’t just doable—but also refreshing. —Jenna Ryu, SELF, 19 Jan. 2025

Such feats require skills, sure, but also a lot of screen time, leading skeptics to question how the C.E.O. of six companies and a key adviser to Donald Trump finds the time. —Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined at sense 1