screen time
Americannoun
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the amount of time devoted to a particular actor, topic, plot line, etc., in a film or TV show.
The female characters got less screen time than the male characters in all the film festival nominations.
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Digital Technology. the amount of time a person spends watching or interacting with content on the screen of a computer, phone, TV, gaming console, etc..
What's the maximum amount of screen time recommended for children under two?
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of screen time
First recorded in 1915–20, and in 1990–95 screen time for def. 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Are you a parent who is concerned about screen time?
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
Meta's Teen Accounts allow parents to block access to Instagram at night and cap daily screen time at 15 minutes, it said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
He believes AI can make screen time far more productive for students.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
One look at my screen time statistics tells me I checked my phone 116 times yesterday.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
“And he’s probably had more screen time today than in the first four years of his life combined. But here. A little graduation gift.”
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
