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

Yet, when Rosy's screen time came to an end each evening and Doucleff tried to put the iPad away, the 7-year-old dissolved into tears and often raged. —Alicia Garceau, NPR, 6 Mar. 2026

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

But if there is room, the fact that Hyacinth got a real bump in screen time in season four could point to Bridgerton laying the groundwork for her eventual season in the spotlight. —Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2026

Roblox also began offering parental controls in late 2024, enabling parents to block specific games or users, choose whether their children can chat with others and set screen time and spending limits. —Angela Yang, NBC news, 4 Mar. 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