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

Unsurprisingly, Saturday Night Live gets an abundance of screen time, but Greenbaum carves out space for Key & Peele, MAD TV, and earlier practitioners like Vaughn Meader and Rich Little. —Jason Bailey, Vulture, 27 May 2026

That might include setting expectations for screen time, deciding on consequences and creating consistent routines at home. —Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 27 May 2026

The evidence is increasingly clear that too much screen time, particularly with social media, is harming the social and emotional well-being of our students, as well as their cognitive development. —Mercury News Editorial Board, Mercury News, 27 May 2026

Many are frustrated by trying to curb screen time at home, only to have screens mandated by school. —Jocelyn Gecker, Fortune, 26 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