How Much Screen Time Is Too Much? (And How to Put Down Your Phone)
Key takeaways:
Limiting screen time is recommended for children and adolescents under age 18 and may be beneficial for adults as well.
Excessive screen time may be associated with depression, obesity, and other physical and mental health problems.
Check your phone for features that help you limit your screen time to cut back on the habit.
Research shows that too much time on video games, YouTube, and other screen tasks is not good for children — and it’s probably not good for you either.
Physician groups and the federal government provide suggestions for limiting screen time for kids, but no such guidance exists for adults. That doesn’t mean there is nothing to worry about. Screen time is linked to a wide range of potential problems, regardless of your age.
We’ve rounded up some of the facts for you here so you can decide if it may be time to cut back on your family’s screen time.
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What is screen time?
“Screen time” describes any activity done in front of a screen. Television, online research, video games, and texting are very different, but they all count as screen time.
Screens are everywhere, including:
That huge TV in the rec room
Your laptop
The video game console
Your smartphone
The e-book reader
That Zoom meeting and the device where you’re reading the funny meme your co-worker sent during it
Americans, on average, spend 7 hours a day staring at a computer, and that’s just working life. Screen-based entertainment and social time all comes on top of that. For example, the average adult spent more than 35 hours per week just watching video as of fall 2020.
Of course, many people engage with multiple screens at one time. Do you ever scroll through your phone while watching TV? In a 2021 survey about smartphone and device use, 31% of U.S. adults said they go online “almost constantly,” up from 21% in 2015.
What can happen if you look at screens too much?
Being overly involved with the screens in your life might pose risks to both your mental and physical health.
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Mental health and your brain
So far researchers have found that hours of screen time may be associated with your risk for depression. One study, for example, suggests that people who spent 6 or more hours a day watching TV were more likely to show symptoms of clinical depression. Extra screen time can also make it harder to fall asleep, which is another risk factor for mental health issues.
Does all this screen time affect your brain? That’s still unknown, although the National Institute of Health is trying to find out. Some neurologists are worried about the effect on memory, attention, brain development, and more.
Obesity and related complications
Sitting too long in front of a screen is also a problem because of sitting. Sedentary behavior, where you spend most of your time inactive, can be associated with health conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Beyond that, spending more time sitting in front of screens increases the risk of weight gain and becoming overweight or obese. That’s important because greater body fat is also linked to a variety of health complications, including cancer.
Vision problems
Staring at screens can also cause eye strain. One study found some evidence that increased screen time during COVID-19 increased the number of children at risk of developing nearsightedness — difficulty seeing things clearly at a distance.
How much screen time is too much?
For kids, the answer on an appropriate amount of screen time is straightforward. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) offers guidance:
Under 18 months: No screen time except video-chatting with family
18 to 24 months: Less than 1 hour a day and only while watching educational content alongside an adult
2 to 5 years: Up to 1 hour a day
6 to 18 years: Develop limits that ensure your child gets plenty of time for non-screen activities using the AAP’s media planning tool
No such screen time guidance exists for adults. But there are some signs that might mean it’s time to scale back. These could include:
Repetitive strain injuries or pain in your fingers, hands, arms, or wrists (such as from gaming or typing)
Feeling “addicted” to your devices, like you can’t put them down even for a few minutes
If you’re concerned, you can also speak with your healthcare provider or a mental health professional. They may be able to help you understand your personal health risks and come up with customized guidelines.
How to stop looking at your phone and limit screen time
Too much already with the phone? Whether you’re worried you’re in the danger zone or want to make room for healthier activities, there are steps you can take to limit your screen time.
Use your phone’s settings to help
First, dig into the settings on your iPhone or Android device to understand how you’re currently using your phone. Are you spending 2 hours a day playing games without realizing it? Does the “breaking news” alert on your phone demand your attention when you want to be doing something else?
Once you’ve done an assessment, you can use your phone to help block the features that attract you to the screen. Depending on your phone, you can:
Track how much time you spend on a given app
Limit how much time you spend in an app each day
Block apps and notifications for a period of time
Block incoming phone calls and messages for a period of time
Get back IRL (in real life!)
Start tracking your screen time compared to your active time. Then create ways to set limits and replace screen time with non-screen activities. Here are some examples to get you started:
Take screens out of bedrooms.
Make mealtimes screen-free.
Join a sports team or play catch in your backyard.
Get outdoors for a hike or a walk around your neighborhood, and leave your phone at home.
Practice a hobby. Tame your addiction to that fashion-game app by learning an IRL skill like sewing or knitting.
Ask for help
If you’re worried about your child’s screen time, ask their healthcare provider for guidance. Some medical centers have developed programs specifically to help young people whose excessive online activities cause problems with their well-being. You can also use AAP’s media time calculator to help set family guidelines around screen time.
Worried about your own screen time? Check out the Center for Humane Technology to find tips and tools to regain control.
The bottom line
The need to limit screen time for children is clear, according to pediatricians. But how much screen time is too much for adults hasn’t been determined. One clear danger, however, is that screen-related inactivity may lead to weight gain and other health problems. That may be reason enough to switch off the screen. You can work on limiting your screen time by using your phone’s settings to block features, find new hobbies to enjoy away from your phone, and get support from others to cut the cord.
Why trust our experts?
References
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Defining adult overweight & obesity.
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Hill, D., et al. (2016). Media use in school-aged children and adolescents. Pediatrics.
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Madhav, K. C., et al. (2017). Association between screen time and depression among US adults. Preventive Medicine Reports.
MedlinePlus. (2021). Screen time and children.
National Institutes of Health MedlinePlus Magazine. (2019). What is all that screen time doing to your child’s brain?
Pacheco, D. (2022). How electronics affect sleep. Sleep Foundation.
Perrin, A., et al. (2021). About three-in-ten U.S. adults say they are ‘almost constantly’ online. Pew Research Center.
Radesky, J. (2016). Policy addresses how to help parents manage young children’s media use. American Academy of Pediatrics News.
Sigman, A. (2017). Screen dependency disorders: A new challenge for child neurology. Journal of International Child Neurology Association.
Wang, J., et al. (2021). Progression of myopia in school-aged children after COVID-19 home confinement. Journal of the American Medical Association Ophthalmology.
We Can! (n.d.). Parent tips: We Can! Screen time chart.
World Cancer Research Fund International. (n.d.). Obesity, weight gain and cancer risk.
World Health Organization. (2002). Physical inactivity a leading cause of disease and disability, warns WHO.
For additional resources or to connect with mental health services in your area, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357. For immediate assistance, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, or text HOME to 741-741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.
