What It Means
Screen timeParental controlsSettings and tools that let a parent limit what a child can see, download, buy and who they can contact on a device or app, and for how long. See more for adults is the total time you spend looking at phones, computers, tablets, TVs and game screens, at work and at home. The health guidance found for this page doesn't set a daily number of screen hours for adults. Instead it speaks to how screens are used: regular breaks for your eyes, no screens just before bed, and enough time moving away from the desk.
Try It: Count Your Screen Hours and 20-20-20 Breaks
Enter your own day. The numbers are examples to start from.
Two hours or more without a break. The American Optometric Association says people who spend two or more continuous hours a day at a screen are at greatest risk of digital eye strain.
Under two hours at a stretch. Keep the 20-second breaks going every 20 minutes.
A 20-20-20 break: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds (American Optometric Association).
How People Say It
- "My phone says I averaged seven hours a day, that can't be right."
- "I stare at screens all day and then I relax by watching TV."
- "My eyes are burning, I need to get off this laptop."
The Breakdown
Worked example. Jordan spends about 6 hours a day on screens across work and evenings, and usually works an hour at a time before getting up. These are example numbers.
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Screen hours a day | 6 |
| 20-20-20 breaks a day (one every 20 minutes) | 18 |
| Total time looking away | 6 minutes |
| Screen hours in a year | 2,190 |
What the result means. The yearly figure is there to make the habit visible, and no health body on this page sets a threshold for it. The useful numbers are the breaks. Eighteen breaks of 20 seconds add up to only 6 minutes, which is why the 20-20-20 rule is easy to fit into a working day.
What adult guidance does cover
| Area | What the guidance says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Eyes | Every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds | American Optometric Association |
| Sleep | Screens off at least 30 minutes before bed | AASM and CDC |
| Moving | 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, plus muscle strengthening on 2 days | CDC, Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans |
Good to Know
The American Optometric Association lists eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision, dry eyes and neck and shoulder pain as signs of digital eye strain, and says two or more continuous hours at a screen each day puts you at greatest risk. If those symptoms keep coming back even with regular breaks, see an eye doctor. For sleep, AASM and CDC advise switching screens off at least 30 minutes before bed. If you're setting rules for children as well, Buhata's family media planFamily media planA written set of family rules about screens and media, such as screen-free times and places, that each household makes to fit its own routines and values. See more page covers the American Academy of Pediatrics' approach for kids.
FAQ
How much screen time is too much for an adult?
None of the bodies cited here, the American Optometric Association, CDC and AASM, gives a daily screen-hour limit for adults. Their advice is about breaks for your eyes, screens off before bed and enough physical activity.
What is the 20-20-20 rule?
Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something about 20 feet away. The American Optometric Association recommends it to ease digital eye strain.
Does work screen time count?
For your eyes, yes. The American Optometric Association's advice is about continuous time at a screen, whatever the screen is for, so the 20-20-20 breaks apply to a work laptop as much as to a phone in the evening.
Do It in Buhata
Focus and Reminders
Set Focus intervals in Buhata to 1,200 seconds of work and 20 seconds of rest, so it calls each 20-20-20 break for you.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Digital detox
A set period when you stop using, or deliberately cut back on, smartphones, computers and other digital devices, usually to rest and lower stress.
- Doomscrolling
Scrolling on and on through bad or upsetting news and posts on a phone or computer, often for longer than you meant to and in a way that's hard to stop.
- Wind-down routine
A set of calm, screen-free activities in the last part of the evening that helps you shift from being awake to falling asleep.
- Movement snack
A short burst of activity, often under a minute, such as a quick climb up a few flights of stairs, repeated a few times through the day; researchers call it an exercise snack.
- Screen-free time
Set times or places in a family's day, like meals, bedrooms or the hour before bed, when phones, TVs, tablets and games stay off.
Sources
American Optometric Association, "Computer vision syndrome (Digital eye strain)"; CDC, "Adult Activity: An Overview" (Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans); American Academy of Sleep Medicine and CDC guidance on screens before bed, as on Buhata's wind-down routine page
- www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/eye-and-vision-conditions/computer-vision-syndrome
- www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/guidelines/adults.html
Last updated .