How much screen time is too much for adults?

How much screen time is too much? The honest answer

How much screen time is too much depends less on a number and more on what your screens push out of your day. There is no official daily limit for adults, so be wary of any single magic figure.

Screen time is the total time you spend looking at screens, such as phones, tablets, computers and TVs. Most published numbers only measure part of that, so it helps to know what is being counted.

What is the average screen time in the UK?

Ofcom's Online Nation 2025 report found that UK adults spent an average of 4 hours 30 minutes a day online in May 2025. That was 10 minutes more than a year earlier.¹

Smartphones accounted for 77% of all time online. Young adults aged 18 to 24 spent the most time online, at 6 hours 20 minutes a day, and 5 hours 5 minutes of that was on smartphones.¹

These figures come from Ipsos iris data on UK internet users aged 18 and over, and cover time online on smartphones, tablets and computers.¹ So they are not the same as all your screen time, because other screens, such as your TV, are not included.

Is there a healthy screen time limit for adults?

Not officially. The World Health Organization does set limits for young children. It recommends no sedentary screen time for children under 2, and no more than 1 hour a day for children aged 2 to 4.²

For children and young people, the UK Chief Medical Officers said in 2019 that research was not conclusive enough to support guidelines on optimal amounts of screen use.³ Neither body gives a daily number for adults.

So instead of chasing a target, ask a better question: what is my screen time replacing?

Screen time for adults: judge it by what it displaces

1. Sleep

The CDC recommends 7 or more hours of sleep a night for adults aged 18 to 60. It also advises turning off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.⁴

A survey of 844 Flemish adults aged 18 to 94 found that bedtime mobile phone use was linked to later rise times, higher insomnia scores and more fatigue.⁵ It was a cross sectional study, so it shows a link, not proof that phones caused the problems.

If your screen time mostly happens in bed, start there. Our guide to how to stop scrolling in bed has practical steps.

2. Movement

The NHS says many adults spend more than 7 hours a day sitting, and names watching TV and using a computer as common examples of sedentary behaviour.⁶ It also warns that you can hit your weekly activity target and still be at risk if you spend the rest of your time sitting or lying down.⁶

The WHO says all age groups should limit the amount of time being sedentary. In adults, it links higher amounts of sedentary behaviour with higher death rates and more cardiovascular disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes.⁷ Not all screen time is sitting, and not all sitting is screens, but the two often overlap.

3. Focus and the time you actually wanted

In a US experiment with about 2,000 adults, economists estimated that self control problems cause 31% of social media use.⁸ Put simply, a share of scrolling is time people would not choose if the choice were easy.

Constant checking also breaks up your attention. We look at the evidence behind a popular claim in does it take 23 minutes to refocus.

Signs your screen time is too much for you

• You often go to bed later than planned because of your phone.
• You wake up tired most days.
• You pick up your phone without deciding to.
• Work or study takes longer because you keep checking.
• You cannot say where an hour of scrolling went.
• You have tried to cut back and it has not stuck.

None of these is a diagnosis. For a fuller checklist, see our guide to phone addiction signs.

How to check your own screen time on iPhone

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Screen Time, then tap Daily Average.
3. Tap Week or Day to switch between views.
4. Scroll down to Pickups and Notifications to see how often you pick up your phone.

These steps are from Apple's iPhone User Guide for iOS 27.⁹ Look at your worst hours, not just the total. Two hours of a film with family is different from 40 minutes of scrolling after midnight.

What to do if your screen time is too much

Pick the time of day that costs you most, often late evening, and protect that first. Then work outwards. Our step by step guide on how to reduce screen time on iPhone covers the settings.

Firm limits seem to help. In the same US experiment, limits that in most cases could not be immediately overridden cut use of six tempting apps by 22 minutes a day over 12 weeks.⁸

Where SETL fits

SETL is an iPhone app blocker built bedtime first. You set your bedtime once, your chosen apps are blocked automatically every night, and daytime focus sessions are there when you need them. If sleep is what your screen time is pushing out, see how our screen time blocker works.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Speak to your doctor about ongoing sleep, attention or mental health concerns.