Tech Addiction By the Numbers: How Much Time We Spend Online

Kleiner Perkins partner Mary Meeker'south annual Net Trends Report is an avalanche of data providing insight into how every corner of the tech industry is growing and evolving. We already recapped its biggest themes, but in that location's a whole lot more to unpack.

The Why Axis Bug For this edition of The Why Axis, we're focusing on breaking downwardly ane slide in particular: how much time the average internet user spends staring at a screen each day. According to KPCB's report, which aggregates data from market research company eMarketer, the average adult user in 2022 spent 5.ix hours with digital media. This includes smartphones, desktops and laptops, and other connected devices including over-the-top (OTT) streaming devices and game consoles.

Kleiner Perkins Internet Trends Report--Digital Media Use

At that place's a wealth of data to clarify here, but the almost telling trend is of course that mobile usage has skyrocketed in the past decade. While desktop/laptop usage has remained by and large consistent, average mobile usage (which includes both smartphones and tablets) has increased from 0.three hours per day in 2008 to 3.iii hours a 24-hour interval in 2022. There are myriad reasons for the precipitous jump, from the explosion of social media to twelvemonth after yr of usability improvements that have turned mobile devices into frictionless, intuitive extensions of ourselves.

The graph includes information from home and piece of work usage for consumers age 18 and older, defined as time spent with each digital medium individually regardless of multitasking. And so if a user was scrolling social media on their smartphone while watching Netflix on a streaming device, those usage times are counted separately.

The percent of usage from other continued devices has risen incrementally as well, from 0.two hours in 2008 to 0.6 hours in 2022. Equally more consumers cut the cord and view content through OTT streaming devices, this effigy will only rise. Nosotros wouldn't exist surprised if Meeker breaks that out into its ain category in time to come reports.

Tech and social media giants are only now commencement to reckon with how well their products practice exactly what they were designed to do: keep united states of america tapping and scrolling for hours on end, pulling u.s.a. back in with notification later on notification. Apple recently announced an app called Screen Time and new tools in iOS 12 to gear up app time limits, monitor usage, and keep users from checking notifications at bedtime. Google announced similar controls for Android P at Google I/O, including an app timer, winddown feature, and usage dashboard as role of its Digital Wellbeing initiative.

We've reached the point as a club where at that place's less argument about whether tech habit is real; whether we're spending too much fourth dimension on digital devices. The conversation has shifted to what all of us—tech companies, parents keeping their childrens' tech utilize in check, and each user individually—should practise near it. For proactive steps yous tin take, check out our tips on how to wean yourself off smartphones and social media.

Virtually Rob Marvin

Rob Marvin

Rob Marvin is PCMag's Associate Features Editor. He writes features, news, and trend stories on all manner of emerging technologies. Beats include: startups, concern and venture capital, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, AI, augmented and virtual reality, IoT and automation, legal cannabis tech, social media, streaming, security, mobile commerce, Thousand&A, and entertainment. Rob was previously Assistant Editor and Associate Editor in PCMag's Business department. Prior to that, he served equally an editor at SD Times. He graduated from Syracuse Academy's S.I. Newhouse Schoolhouse of Public Communications. You can likewise find his business organization and tech coverage on Entrepreneur and Fob Business. Rob is also an unabashed nerd who does occasional amusement writing for …