Smartphone, television, computer, tablet, connected watch… there's no escaping the screen anymore. Around the world, screen time is alarming but steadily increasing. One might think that Americans are very addicted, this is not the case.
• Read more: TikTok Lite: Europe threatens to suspend rewards program
• Read more: Kyrgyzstan shuts down TikTok to 'protect children'
• Read more: Screen time among young people has declined since the pandemic
South Africa is where people are most glued to screens. Its residents spend more than nine hours a day there.
According to a report by Electronics Hub, the average global population spends 6 hours and 43 minutes on screens every day. The latter analyzed data extracted from Datareportal's “Digital 2024: Global Overview Report” to calculate the amount of time spent looking at a screen in each country compared to the average time spent awake each day.
According to Statista, nearly one in two Americans admit to being addicted to digital devices, while residents of South Africa spend most of their time on screens. They spend an average of 56.80% of their waking hours looking at a screen, or an average of 9 hours and 24 minutes per day.
Each country has its bias
The latter look at their phone frequently, averaging 5 hours 15 minutes or 31.72% of their time per day. It should also be noted that South Africa stands out in terms of the use of social networks compared to other countries. On average, South Africans check social media for 3 hours and 41 minutes a day.
Countries in the South, Asia and Africa, as well as the Americas, seem to be more dependent on screens. Brazil is second with 9h13 minutes (54.73%), followed by the Philippines in third with 8h52 minutes (52.28%).
Electronics Hub points out that compared to last year, the average person is looking at their screens three minutes more per day.
Going into detail, the report shows that Russians prioritize their computers over the rest of the world. They spend 4 hours 29 minutes or 27.07% of their time in front of their computer screen. Here again, South Africa is not far behind, in second place with 4h09 minutes (25.08% of waking time).
For its part, Saudi Arabia loves gaming a lot. Its residents spend 1 hour 43 minutes a day or 10.02% of their waking hours, the highest percentage recorded in the report.
As for America, the country of Hollywood continues to shine with TV. Americans watch the smallest window with 4h39 per day, compared to 4h05 in South Africa, still second in the rankings.
Top 10 countries with the most daily screen time
- South Africa – 9:24 am
- Brazil – 9:13 am
- PHILIPPINES – 8:52 am
- COLUMBIA – 8:43 am
- Argentina – 8:41 am
- Chile – 8:31 am
- Russia – 8:21 am
- Malaysia – 8:17 am
- United Arab Emirates – 8:11 am
- Thailand – 7:58 am
