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

Grades six through eight will have a maximum limit of 60 minutes of screen time per subject, per week under the new policy, with homework included. — Mason Leib, ABC News, 24 June 2026

The Los Angeles Unified Board of Education has approved a districtwide limit on screen time for students, including a complete ban in classrooms before second grade. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 24 June 2026

The group also notes that human eyes were not built to focus on a digital screen for hours at a stretch, and as daily screen time keeps climbing, eye care matters more than ever. — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 24 June 2026

The popularity of digital detoxes reflects a growing awareness that excessive screen time can contribute to stress, distraction and mental fatigue. — Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for screen time

• airtime
• bedtime
• daytime
• downtime
• enzyme
• halftime
• lifetime
• longtime
• lunchtime
• mealtime
• meantime
• nighttime