According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ recent American Time Use Survey, Americans spend the majority of their leisure time on screens.
People over the age of 15 spend an average of about 2.5 hours watching TV and an additional 37 minutes on activities such as video games and social media, out of an average of 5 hours and 10 minutes of leisure and sports time per day.
It’s no surprise that we spend so much time on TV, laptops and phones, says Lance Garrison, dean of the School of Professional Psychology at the University of Chicago and a clinician who specializes in children and families.
“I think what was surprising to me was that there wasn’t a lot of screen time,” he says.
That’s why he and Gloria Mark, Chancellor’s Professor of Information Studies at the University of California, Irvine and author of “Attention Span: A Revolutionary Way to Restore Balance, Happiness, and Productivity,” believe screens are America’s favorite pastime.
“Screens give you instant gratification.”
“Television has always been a huge part of American culture, at least in my lifetime,” Garrison says. For example, in 2003, Americans age 15 and older also watched an average of about two and a half hours of television per day, according to the BLS.
And today’s streaming services have countless on-demand options, he says, making the medium even more appealing.
It’s also a low-energy activity. Spending time with people takes effort, he says, and the benefits aren’t immediately felt. “When you have a screen, you get instant gratification,” he said, adding, “A lot of people overuse it because the barrier to entry is so low.”
“Our entire society is moving toward spending more time on screens.”
Although they don’t explicitly mention it, other activities within the leisure and sports category can also include screen time, Mark says.
For example, in the socialization and communication category, the BLS does not specify where or how these activities occur. These could represent the amount of time people spend texting their friends.
Even within the leisure travel category, screens are often part of the experience. For example, at some amusement parks, visitors order food using their smartphones. “Our entire society is moving towards spending more time on screens,” she says.
Other studies have found much higher rates of phone use among children and adults. In 2023, Gallup found that the average American teenager spent 4.8 hours per day on various social media platforms.
“You can read a book, walk in nature, or play sports.”
Garrison said there’s nothing inherently wrong with spending time on screens, but for some people it can become a mechanism to avoid real-world challenges.
Mark also believes that the fast-paced nature of both traditional media and short-form content can have a negative impact on people’s attention spans, which can affect stress levels and the quality of performance in activities.
When thinking about what to do in your free time, she says, “You can read a book, walk in nature, play a sport, or talk to people.” “These things require your attention for a longer period of time.”
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