New Survey Reveals Americans Spend 5 Hours And 42 Minutes on Their Devices Each Day
A new survey conducted by Optimum has revealed the amount of time Americans spend on screens each day
- One in ten Americans spend up to 8 hours on a screen per day
- 10% of Millennials and 10% of Gen Z spend 12+ hours on their screens every day
- Millennials spend the most time on their screens, averaging 6 hours and 18 minutes per day
- Social media named as number one activity during screen time, followed by researching topics and online shopping
The average American spends 5 hours and 42 minutes on their devices each day, with one in ten Millennials and one in ten Gen Zs spending more than 12 hours on their screens every day, according to new research by internet and cable provider, Optimum. The study, which surveyed 2,003 Americans, delved into screen time habits of tech users across the country – from time spent on screens and online behavior to device split and attitudes towards tech usage.
The survey revealed that Millennials spend the most amount of time on their screens averaging 6 hours and 18 minutes per day, two thirds (66%) of Americans think children’s screen time is too high, that and more than half of Americans (53%) spend the majority of their screen time scrolling through social media. Interestingly, only 35% of Americans believe they need to reduce their screen time, while 50% think their screen time is at an acceptable level.
When comparing screen usage before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, it also showed that almost two thirds (65%) of Americans have increased their screen usage since the beginning of the pandemic, with particular prevalence among 35-44-year-olds of which 71% have admitted to increasing their screen usage since the pandemic hit.
How Much Time Americans Spend On Screens Per Day
The analysis showed that Millennials are the generation that spends the most time online, with an average of 6 hours and 18 minutes on their devices daily. What’s more, those aged 35-44 were the generation who followed, with an average screen time of 6 hours and 11 minutes, while the youngest consumer generation – Gen Z, our Digital Generation – only came in third.
Attitudes Towards Screen Time
Interestingly, more than one third (38%) of Americans believe technology has positively impacted their own mental health, while almost a fifth (19%) believe technology has a positive impact on the mental health of children. Education is the top factor for which three quarters (75%) of Americans feel technology has had a positive impact, followed by public knowledge (65%) in second, and career success (45%) and friendships (45%) coming in joint third.
For more information, full research can be found on Optimum: Optimum.com/articles/internet/screen-time-across-the-us
