ThirdLife Research

The numbers behind our digital lives.

Updated 3 July 2026

Screen time now takes up around a third of our waking lives, yet most of the public conversation runs on stale or second-hand numbers. These pages compile current statistics from primary sources — Pew Research Center, DataReportal, the CDC, Common Sense Media, peer-reviewed journals and Australia's eSafety Commissioner — with methodology notes so you know what each figure actually measures.

Screen Time Statistics 2026Global averages, country rankings and long-term trendsAverage Screen Time by AgeA full life-course breakdown, from under-2s to over-65sTeen Social Media StatisticsPlatforms, 'almost constant' use, AI chatbots and teens' own viewsKids' Screen Time GuidelinesOfficial recommendations by age, and the gap with realityScreen Time & Mental HealthThe evidence on depression, sleep and wellbeing — including the caveatsSmartphone Addiction StatisticsPhone checks, nomophobia, and how many people feel hookedScreen Time Statistics AustraliaThe world-first under-16 rules, compliance data and Australian usageParental Controls StatisticsAdoption, effectiveness, and the monitoring-vs-mentoring evidence

Counting hours was never the point. Understanding them is.

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