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

Sun says the type of content consumed can often have more of a negative impact than the length of screen time usage. —Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026

Restricting student screen time at LAUSD The board passed a resolution barring screens for kindergarten and first-grade students and capping usage for older pupils. —Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026

Tracie Thoms, who reprises her role as Andy’s best friend Lily, thankfully has more screen time than that. —Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 21 Apr. 2026

This show is a safe space for anyone whose English teacher loved them, people with too many hours of screen time, cinephiles, and bisexuals. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 20 Apr. 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