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

Filmed live at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota, Magic Lover sees Willman deliver fresh takes on fatherhood, inflation, screen time, and finding order in life’s chaos, in between tricks. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 15 May 2025

This points to a broader opportunity: designing tech that supports sustainable, meaningful engagement — focused less on maximizing screen time, and more on what actually matters to each of us. —Jenny Lehmann, Discover Magazine, 9 May 2025

Studies have also linked screen time to substance use disorders and early-onset dementia. —Calin Van Paris, Outside Online, 9 May 2025

The Galactic Senate has a fair amount of screen time in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, which recently completed a successful weeklong theatrical rerelease celebrating its upcoming 20th anniversary. —Jesse Hassenger, Vulture, 7 May 2025

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