The statistic presents data on the average amount of screen time parents allow their child a day in the United States as of January 2018. During the survey, ** percent of respondents stated that they allowed their child *********** hours of screen time per day.
The total daily entertainment screen time of teens, 13 to 18 year olds, amounted to ***** hours and ** minutes in the United States in 2021. Nevertheless, this figure for teens show an increase from the figure recorded in 2015, when it amounted to *** hours and ** minutes.
According to a survey of parents in the United States conducted in September 2022, besides time granted for homework and educational purposes, ** percent of respondents reported allowing their children to use digital devices between *** or *** hours per day. In comparison, ** percent of respondents reporting to allow their children between ***** and **** hours of screen time per day, while ***** percent of respondents reported allowing their children over *** hours of daily screen time.
As of June 2020, ** percent of parents to U.S. teens aged 14 to 17 years stated that their kids were spending more than four hours per day on electronic devices since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Only ** percent of responding parents stated that their teens had used electronic devices daily for more than four hours before the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the pandemic triggered a rise in the use of electronic devices among American children under 13 and teenagers with screentime now double that of what it used to be across all age groups. YouTube, Netflix and Instagram dominateIn an ongoing survey between 2015 and 2020 it was reported that the most popular video platforms among teens in the U.S. were Netflix and YouTube, and the pandemic has done little to shift that. Cable TV viewership continued to decline throughout 2020, while Hulu rose in popularity during this time. Meanwhile, despite a slight drop in viewership Netflix and YouTube retained their positions as the top two video services after the onset of the pandemic. YouTube and Instagram were also named the most popular social media channels among teens and young adults, as of the third quarter of 2020. Due to their booming popularity, it is no wonder that advertisers have been increasingly targeting these networks, with social media add spend having been on the rise each year since 2017. The biggest growth surge has come from mobile advertising, while spend on desktop advertising has remained nearly the same. Texting and phone calls most preferred during lockdownAs most of the world entered lockdown during the peak of the Coronavirus pandemic in April 2020, teens in the U.S. were asked which technologies they had used to virtually connect with friends and family during this time. 'Texting' was the most preferred method, named by over ** percent followed by phone calls. Meanwhile, video chat and social media came in third.
In 2024, children in the United Kingdom spent an average of *** minutes per day on TikTok. This was followed by Instagram, as children in the UK reported using the app for an average of ** minutes daily. Children in the UK aged between four and 18 years also used Facebook for ** minutes a day on average in the measured period. Mobile ownership and usage among UK children In 2021, around ** percent of kids aged between eight and 11 years in the UK owned a smartphone, while children aged between five and seven having access to their own device were approximately ** percent. Mobile phones were also the second most popular devices used to access the web by children aged between eight and 11 years, as tablet computers were still the most popular option for users aged between three and 11 years. Children were not immune to the popularity acquired by short video format content in 2020 and 2021, spending an average of ** minutes per day engaging with TikTok, as well as over ** minutes on the YouTube app in 2021. Children data protection In 2021, ** percent of U.S. parents and ** percent of UK parents reported being slightly concerned with their children’s device usage habits. While the share of parents reporting to be very or extremely concerned was considerably smaller, children are considered among the most vulnerable digital audiences and need additional attention when it comes to data and privacy protection. According to a study conducted during the first quarter of 2022, ** percent of children’s apps hosted in the Google Play Store and ** percent of apps hosted in the Apple App Store transmitted users’ locations to advertisers. Additionally, ** percent of kids’ apps were found to collect persistent identifiers, such as users’ IP addresses, which could potentially lead to Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) violations in the United States. In the United Kingdom, companies have to take into account several obligations when considering online environments for children, including an age-appropriate design and avoiding sharing children’s data.
During a August 2021 survey of parents in the United States, 51 percent of respondents stated that their children had more than three hours of screen time outside of homework per day. Another third of responding parents claimed that their children spent one to two hours with screen on a daily basis. Screen time of children increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Children aged 8 to 12 years spent an average of *** hours and ** minutes watching TV or videos daily in the United States in 2021. However, they spent an average of **** minutes reading books or articles online.
How much time do people spend on social media? As of 2025, the average daily social media usage of internet users worldwide amounted to 141 minutes per day, down from 143 minutes in the previous year. Currently, the country with the most time spent on social media per day is Brazil, with online users spending an average of 3 hours and 49 minutes on social media each day. In comparison, the daily time spent with social media in the U.S. was just 2 hours and 16 minutes. Global social media usageCurrently, the global social network penetration rate is 62.3 percent. Northern Europe had an 81.7 percent social media penetration rate, topping the ranking of global social media usage by region. Eastern and Middle Africa closed the ranking with 10.1 and 9.6 percent usage reach, respectively. People access social media for a variety of reasons. Users like to find funny or entertaining content and enjoy sharing photos and videos with friends, but mainly use social media to stay in touch with current events friends. Global impact of social mediaSocial media has a wide-reaching and significant impact on not only online activities but also offline behavior and life in general. During a global online user survey in February 2019, a significant share of respondents stated that social media had increased their access to information, ease of communication, and freedom of expression. On the flip side, respondents also felt that social media had worsened their personal privacy, increased a polarization in politics and heightened everyday distractions.
A 2023 survey revealed that smartphones were the preferred device for watching video content in the U.S. among 13 to 24-year-olds, with ** percent using them weekly. In contrast, smart TVs were more popular among viewers aged 35 years and older, indicating a clear generational divide in viewing preferences. As more and more people switch to streaming offers, MVPD set-top boxes have become increasingly unpopular. Generational differences in content choices According to another survey from October 2023, nearly **** of Gen Z respondents stated to prefer social video and live streams, compared to one third of millennials. This preference for short-form, interactive content aligns with the high smartphone usage among younger viewers. Meanwhile, millennials are more likely to choose traditional TV shows and movies as their favorite content type, explaining their higher penetration rate of smart TVs and connected devices. Entertainment time The amount of time spent on different video platforms varies significantly by age group. Millennials with young children spend an average of over ***** hours per day watching content on connected TV devices, more than double the time spent by other demographics. This trend is further supported by data showing that viewers over 35 dedicate ** percent of their entertainment screen time to TV, while Gen Z allocates only ** percent to this medium. Instead, younger viewers spread their time across various platforms, with gaming accounting for the highest share of their entertainment screen time.
As of the third quarter of 2024, internet users spent six hours and 38 minutes online daily. This is a slight increase in comparison to the previous quarter. Overall, between the third quarter of 2015 and the third quarter of 2024, the average daily internet use has increased by 19 minutes. Most online countries Internet users between 16 and 64 years old in South Africa spent the longest time online daily, nine hours and 27 minutes, followed by Brazil and the Philippines. These figures include the time spent using the internet on any device. In Japan, internet users spent around three hours and 57 minutes online per day. Users in Denmark also spent relatively less time on the internet, reaching about five hours daily. Most common online activities According to a 2024 survey, more than six in 10 people worldwide used the internet to find information. Furthermore, the usage of communication platforms was also a common reason for going online, followed by online content consumption, such as watching videos, TV shows, or movies.
Not seeing a result you expected?
Learn how you can add new datasets to our index.
The statistic presents data on the average amount of screen time parents allow their child a day in the United States as of January 2018. During the survey, ** percent of respondents stated that they allowed their child *********** hours of screen time per day.