Digital Media Use Set to Exceed TV Time This Year

Digital media use of American adults will surpass TV use for the first time this year. According to recent eMarketer estimates, Americans aged 18 and older will spend an average of 4 hours and 40 minutes per day on their computers and mobile devices, exceeding TV time by 9 minutes.

The sharp increase in digital media use is primarily caused by the rise of smart mobile devices. The non-voice use of mobile devices jumped from just 24 minutes in 2010 to 2 hours and 21 minutes this year. This increase happened at the expense of print media, as the use of newspapers and magazines continued to decline.

Please note that eMarketer's estimates do include multitasking time, i.e. time spent using a smartphone while watching TV is counted towards the totals of TV and mobile both.