⚠️This fact has been debunked
Current data shows Americans spend closer to 50% of online time on social media and gaming combined, not one third. Social media averages 2h 9min daily, gaming 1.5-2h daily for active gamers, out of 7-8h total online time.
The average American spends a third of their overall time online playing games and using social networks.
Do Americans Spend a Third of Online Time Gaming?
You've probably heard that Americans spend about a third of their internet time scrolling feeds and button-mashing through games. It's the kind of stat that gets repeated in articles about screen addiction and digital culture. There's just one problem: it's not accurate.
The reality is significantly higher. Americans actually devote closer to half their online hours to social media and gaming combined, not a measly third.
The Real Numbers
Let's break down what the average American's digital day actually looks like. According to 2024-2025 data, Americans spend roughly 7 to 8 hours daily on internet-connected devices. That's nearly a full work shift glued to screens.
Of that time:
- Social media: 2 hours and 9 minutes daily on average
- Gaming: 1.5 to 2 hours daily for regular players (11-13 hours weekly for Gen Z and Millennials)
- Combined total: 3.5 to 4+ hours out of 7-8 hours online
Do the math and you're looking at roughly 44% to 57% of online time—nearly half, possibly more than half for younger demographics. That's a far cry from the 33% the original claim suggests.
Why the Discrepancy?
So where did the "one third" figure come from? It's likely outdated data from earlier smartphone and social media adoption periods, possibly from the early 2010s when platforms like Facebook were just hitting their stride and mobile gaming was less ubiquitous.
Back then, people spent less total time online, and activities were more distributed across email, browsing, and productivity. As platforms became more addictive by design—infinite scroll, autoplay videos, battle passes—usage skyrocketed.
The Age Factor
Not all Americans are created equal when it comes to screen habits. Young adults aged 18-24 spend 186 minutes daily on social media alone—that's over 3 hours. Add gaming to that mix, and you're potentially looking at 5+ hours of their waking day devoted to these two activities.
Meanwhile, adults over 65 clock in at just 102 minutes of social media daily. They're dragging the average down, which means the "half your online time" figure is actually conservative for anyone under 35.
What We're Actually Doing Online
The rest of that online time? Americans fill it with streaming video (Netflix, YouTube), music, messaging apps, online shopping, reading news, and work-related tasks. Digital video alone now outpaces traditional TV by nearly an hour per day.
The internet has become the primary medium for nearly everything—entertainment, communication, commerce, and information. Gaming and social media are just the most visible and discussed portions because they're the most deliberately engineered to keep you hooked.
So no, it's not a third. It's closer to half. And for millions of younger Americans, it's probably even more.