is 8 hours of screen time bad?
no verdict on health, just the ranking, by age.
30th percentile
8 hours of phone screen time a day is more than most for americans aged 21–24: 70% of people that age are on their phone less, and 30% are on it more. the typical person that age is on their phone 6h 20m. whether it's "bad" depends on what it replaces; this page only measures how it ranks against people your age.
8 hours a day, at every age
the right-hand column is the share of americans in each age group who are on their phone more than 8 hours a day.
| age | typical | on it more than 8h |
|---|---|---|
| 13–15 | 5h 30m | 20% |
| 16–17 | 6h 30m | 32% |
| 18–20 | 6h 40m | 34% |
| 21–24 | 6h 20m | 30% |
| 25–29 | 5h 30m | 22% |
| 30–35 | 5h | 17% |
check your own number
your number is in settings → screen time. less is better here, so a high percentile means less screen time than most.
nearby
how this is worked out
United States, ages 21-24: lognormal, median 380 min/day, σ 0.45, chosen to match the published centre and spread in the sources; breakpoints are the world curve's own (every wheel edge). A modelled curve anchored to published US figures, not a fit to microdata;
- Constant Companion: A Week in the Life of a Young Person's Smartphone Use · Common Sense Media, 2023
questions people ask
- Is 8 hours of screen time bad?
- Against people your age it is more than most: at 21–24, 70% of americans are on their phone less and 30% more. We rank it; we do not call it healthy or unhealthy.
- How does 8 hours compare for a 14 year old?
- For americans aged 13–15, 20% are on their phone more than 8 hours; the typical teen that age is on 5h 30m a day.
- How many people use their phone 8 hours a day?
- At 21–24, about 70% of americans use their phone less than 8 hours a day, so 30% use more.
- What is average screen time at 30?
- The typical american aged 30–35 is on their phone 5h a day, and 17% of them are on it more than 8 hours.
that's one number. behind scores eight.
money, looks, height, popularity, screen time and more, each ranked against everyone born your year in the country you grew up in. one card, about two minutes.
see your card on the app store