When it comes to day-to-day life, there’s not much we do without our screens – this is a universal truth. Throw in a few binge-worthy shows, addictive short-form videos and the notorious ‘infinite scroll’ and you have a recipe for some of the highest average screen times in the world.
This is according to a global study conducted by tech website Electronics Hub, which revealed that South Africa holds the highest average percentage of their day spent on screens among 45 countries worldwide.
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The study analysed data from DataReportal’s Digital 2024: Global Overview Report to find country-level data for screen time and then looked at sleep patterns from sleep cycle to find average sleep times for residents in each country.
This allowed the tech site to calculate the percentage of awake hours relative to screen time for a number of categories, including phones, TV, computers, social media and gaming.
Average screen time
Overall, the study found that while the average person is awake between 16.5 and 17.5 hours per day (according to the Economist’s 1843 magazine), the world uses around six hours and 43 minutes of their day in front of their screens.
Of the 45 countries, South Africa takes top place with a whopping average of 58.21% (nine hours and 24 minutes) of their daily waking hours staring at a screen. Despite their love affair with all things tech, Japan reportedly spends the least time scrolling, with just 22.76% of their waking hours allocated to screen time.
Who spends the most time on their phones?
With a smartphone on hand, the cyber world is literally a swipe away. From information and entertainment to worldwide connections – it’s easy to see why we spend so much of our daily lives on our pocket-sized screens.
South Africa remains number one when it comes to spending hours scrolling through their phones, with 31.72% average screen time. Brazil takes spot number two, with just a fraction of a percentage less (31.57%) followed by the Philippines (31.45%) and Thailand (30.18%).
Who spends the most time on their computers?
As computer monitors continue to become sleeker, larger and clearer as technology evolves, so too do the hours spent in front of them.
Russia, which Electronics Hub says faced reduced shipments from smartphone producers like Apple and Samsung in the fallout from war in Ukraine, surpasses South Africa by 1.99% to take top place in average screen time.
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Who spends the most time on social media?
According to the study, social media usage is most rampant in young, emerging economies throughout Southeast Asia and South America.
Despite this, South Africa again takes top spot when it comes to most time spent on social media, with an average of 22.26% of their waking hours scrolling the likes of Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, followed shortly by Brazil, which holds an average of 21.48%.
Who spends the most time watching TV?
While streaming apps like Netflix and DSTV have made watching shows that much more accessible, the study reveals that our ol’ faithful television sets are far from obsolete.
The United States dominates the ranking when it comes to the highest percentage of a day spent watching TV with 28.7% while South Africa follows suit with just over half an hour less screen time.
Who spends the most time gaming?
With a steady increase in online video games that cannot be paused mid-play, coupled with the general notion of losing track of time that almost all gamers experience, it’s no wonder that gaming often takes up a whole chunk of one’s day.
Saudi Arabia leads the world ranking with an average of 10.02% of their waking day in video game screen time. South Africa holds first place in the bottom five with 5.75%.
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