In a world where the phrase "I don't have time" is often tossed around, it seems almost ironic that the average person clocks in nearly a full workday's worth of screen time every single day.
With the average screen time for individuals aged 16 to 64 globally standing at around 6 hours and 37 minutes per day, and Americans pushing the boundary at about 7 hours and 4 minutes daily, it's time we take a hard look at how we're choosing to spend our 24 hours. I recently read a fascinating article by the Independent on screen time statistics and wanted to share some thoughts.
Let's pause for a moment and digest that.
The hours spent scrolling, swiping, and tapping could be redirected into cultivating a hobby, learning a new skill, or simply unwinding and reconnecting with the physical world around us.
This isn't to demonize technology.
After all, it connects us, informs us, entertains us and is a source of my income. But there is a fine line between use and overuse. And with statistics indicating that some countries have managed to curb their screen consumption, it suggests that a collective change isn't just necessary; it's entirely possible.
So what are we doing during a whole sudo-workweek?
The top categories worldwide are social media and gaming. For me, as you can see it's the latter (I don't have social media). You'll also see this usage is down 58% from last week. I checked my own stats and was gobsmacked by the time wasting I did through my little mobile device.
Want to check your own screen time?
Go to Settings > Screen Time. Tap See All App & Website Activity, then tap Devices to select which device you want to see usage for.
Imagine if we could harness just a fraction of this time—say, the 2 hours and 16 minutes Americans spend on social media daily. If we were to repurpose that time into something more enriching or productive, the cumulative effect on personal growth and societal progress could be staggering.
So that's what I'm doing today. Today is a blog. Tomorrow could be an online course.
This isn't about drastic digital detoxes or shunning the modern world's conveniences—it's about recalibrating our daily routines for a more balanced digital diet. It's time we reflect on our screen time habits and ask ourselves whether they align with our long-term goals and values.
If there's one resource we can't make more of, it's time.
And how we choose to spend it paints a vivid picture of who we are and what we prioritise.
T3B