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

Kara Alaimo is a professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University and advises parents, students and teachers on how to manage screen time. —CNN Money, 6 May 2026

Excessive screen time in the evening has been linked with lower sleep quality, while diets heavy in sugars and saturated fats can also make falling asleep more difficult and the experience less restorative. —Tristan Bove, Fortune, 4 May 2026

However, there are certain loopholes that the Disney+ series has taken liberties with, as described in this ScreenRant article, as producers wanted to give Pedro Pascal (who plays the titular character) some actual screen time. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 4 May 2026

The couple will share screen time on BBQ Brawl, which returns this month. —Erin Clements, PEOPLE, 4 May 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