By Noah 
Ever felt how much average screen time for adults is too much, especially in this digital age of 2025? Whether you use your screen to take online classes, scroll social media platforms, or play games, these digital habits have become more common for students than ever before! This is where you need to check out where your screen time falls as compared to the rest of the world.
Reid Health states that the expert’s recommended screen time per day for adults is less than 2 hours in which your work hours are not included. Exceeding this time limit may lead you towards various health disorders affecting your academics and overall lifestyle.
In this article, we will uncover the seven surprising average screen time for teens statistics that every university student should know about in 2025. These facts will not only explore how Gen Z is affecting by digital technology but can also be eye opening for you to build healthy screen time habits.
7 Surprising Average Screen Time for Adults Statistics in 2025
We all know that students of this digital age are suffering from an addiction to digital media. This constant digital engagement often leads to poor time management, making it difficult to focus on academic responsibilities. As a result, many students struggle to complete their homework effectively, which can negatively impact their grades.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, turning to an assignment writing service can be a smart move. These services offer expert guidance and support, helping you manage your workload and improve your academic performance.
The following are some shocking average screen time statistics for students that you must consider in 2025.
1. University Students Spend an Average of 7 Hours on Screens Daily
Backlinko study provides average screen time by age to get an idea of how this digital media is affecting everyone. For example, for the age of 16-24, where you transform from a teen to an adult, the average screen time is almost 7 hours/day or you can say it is 7 and half hour for female and about 7 hours and 4 min for males. However, this screen time goes on reducing after 35 years of age and so on.
This screen time includes all of your gadgets whether it is mobile phone, tablet, laptop, or any other such device. Students mostly have the highest screen time due to their online studies, entertainment streaming, and video gaming acitivities.
The following are the reasons why it is shocking:
●Seven hours a day is almost 50 hours a week, which is the same as a full-time job.
●Most of the students ignored the usage of screen time; they think they only spend three to four hours on screen in a day.
2. 69% of Students Check Their Phones Right After Waking Up
According to ElectroIQ reports on average screen time for adults phone, 69% of students claim that they instantly check their mobile phones within the 5 minutes of getting up, whereas 87% do the same thing but in duration of an hour.
Moreover, it is not just alarming for their dependence on smartphones, but also makes them dependent on instant dopamine addiction. It is more concerning for students because it also affects their concentration, productivity, and control of emotions right away.
The following are some psychological impacts of this habit:
●It leads you towards more depression, anxiety, and restlessness.
●It makes your mind sleep even after waking up.
●It also makes you lazy and face delays in morning mindfulness.
3. 49% of Students Report Being Distracted by Their Phones During Class
While searching for the average screen time for adults statistics, another study by ElectroIQ showed that students are significantly affected by their excessive use of screens. It shows that about half of the students, 49%, face distraction from studying during class time due to their smartphones, and some students, 20%, use them for non-academic purposes. They mostly waste their time on entertaining apps like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat.
This situation of students leads them towards facing different academic losses like:
●Badly affecting their GPA and getting lower grades in other assignments.
●Enhancing academic stress on students.
●Facing distraction during study hours.
4. High Screen Time Associated with Neck and Back Pain
A cross-sectional study conducted at Majmaah University, presented in Researchgate discovered a strong correlation that a university student can get neck issues if they spend more than five hours in front of the screen. More than dry eyes and frequent headaches, common symptoms include a stiff neck, shoulder discomfort, and hand and wrist strain.
This is why it is so concerning:
●These aches are mostly left ignored and get severe over time.
●Students often follow the ergonomic recommendations.
●Most people study on sofas or beds, without proper back support.
5. Male Students Spend Significant Time on Online Gaming
Another great contributor to increasing the average screen time for adults is gaming as students spend most of their time on gaming each day. It is also known that male students often participate in a lot of online gaming and sports betting.
According to a survey of Eurpeon Gaming Industry News, one in four male students becomes 25% bet on sports online, 91 days a year on average. The most popular games in 2025 that mostly students played are Fortnite, FIFA 25, League of Legends, Valorant, and Genshin Impact.
The following is the significant impact of gaming on academics:
●You have less time to spend on assignments.
●You may adopt a habit of skipping study sessions or lectures.
●It increases the risk of developing a gaming addiction.
6. AI Tools Enhance Productivity Among Students
According to the HEPI AI study, 88% of students now utilise generative AI tools like Chatgpt exceeding from 53% from the last year for evaluations, which indicates a sharp rise in their screen utilisation. As students mostly use it for educational purposes, it gives a good impression of screen usage. Effective use of screens facilitates improved time management, improves research, and simplifies writing assignments
This is how you can balance the usage of screen time:
●You should convert useless scrolling into productive, active time.
●You have to promote wiser screen habits rather than longer ones.
7. Limiting Social Media Use Improves Mental Health
Many different researches prove that by limiting the use of social media on a daily basis, you can feel a significant improvement in your health. Such a study was reported by APA, which shows that restricting daily social media use to a maximum of 30 minutes improves mental health by reducing depression, anxiety and other similar disorders.
But how can you restrict yourself to using social media?
Follow these tips:
●You can use an app blocker, such as Forest or Freedom.
●You should turn off alerts that are not necessary.
●You should set your specific scroll hours rather than randomly browsing.
What is the Average Screen Time Per Day for Adults?
According to Backlinko, the average screen time for adults that they spend on different gadgets on a daily basis is more than 7 hours.
Is 7 Hours of Screen Time Ok?
Not at all! Various studies have been conducted on the normal screen time which reveals that 7 hours of screen time in your leisure is bad for your health. Even Reid Health states that an average screen time for young adults should not be more than 2 hours in a day excluding the working hours.
What is the Average Gen Z Screentime?
Gen Z is the generation that born between 1996 and 2010 and are usually teens and adults now. Mastermind Behavious Services revealed that a Gen Z spends about 9 hours on screen daily.
Is 4 Hours of Screen Time a Day Healthy?
CBS News shared the studies according to which 4 hours of screen time daily is injurious to your health, as it leads you towards more anxiety, depression, and other similar symptoms.
Conclusion
With the evolution of digital technology, our dependency is also increasing leading to more screen usage. You will be surprised to know about the average screen time for adults and how much it is affecting students’ lives. That’ why, we have uncovered the 7 astonishing screen time statistics that every university going student must know about in 2025.
These facts act as a wake-up call for students to make them realise that more screen time in their daily life leads them towards various health disasters and poor academic performance. Not just this, students spending more time on their gadgets are also unable to focus on their projects and complete them on time. To avoid it, they prefer to seek support from professional assignment writing firms in the UK, as their experts offer an ultimate guide to students and help them write their tasks efficiently on time.
This is one of the best uses of your gadget that improves your productivity and enhances your grades. So, whenever you pick up your device, first, think whether it will help you to grow or better perform in your academic and personal life.
Author Bio
Elsa F. Charles is an assignment writing expert and a keen researcher who finds topics in detail and present actual statistical data clearly. She also serves students to better perform in the academics with excellently done assignments and exams.