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 loft earns its screen time. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2026

Factors like dehydration, stress, oil production, and screen time often explain why people look more tired or oily by the afternoon. —Allison Forsyth, Health, 8 Apr. 2026

Dane receives more screen time, but his dissolute, oft-drunk character is hard to watch knowing the actor’s offscreen battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. —Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2026

Contestants who get engaged receive more screen time. —Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 8 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