As the world turns its attention to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a new study from Overnight Glasses found that only one World Cup host nation, Mexico, ranks higher than the United States for screen addiction. Americans spend an average of 6 hours and 40 minutes per day on connected devices, placing them ahead of fellow World Cup nations, including Canada, Germany, France, Japan, Spain, Australia, and South Korea.
The study, The Most Screen-Addicted Countries in the World, analyzed factors including daily device usage, social media usage, internet penetration, social media adoption, and vision loss rates to rank countries by overall screen addiction. For all 46 countries, the factors were weighted based on their relative importance as indicators of screen dependence and normalized on a scale of 0-100.
While the United States didn’t crack the global top 10, it ranked significantly higher than many of the countries competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, highlighting just how deeply screens have become embedded in everyday American life.
Americans Spend Nearly Seven Hours a Day on Screens
According to the study, the United States ranked 21st overall among all countries analyzed, earning a screen addiction score of 40.5. Americans spend an average of 6 hours and 40 minutes per day on connected devices, along with 2 hours and 9 minutes per day on social media.
That places the total daily time spent on devices for the U.S. ahead of numerous World Cup countries, including:
- Canada (#27): 6 hours, 5 minutes per day (32. score)
- Australia (#31): 6 hours, 5 minutes per day (28.7 score)
- Poland (#30): 6 hours, 26 minutes per day (29.3 score)
- South Korea (#28): 5 hours, 10 minutes per day (31.2 score)
- Germany (#44): 5 hours, 23 minutes per day (12.8 score)
- France (#45): 5 hours, 22 minutes per day (10.1 score)
- Japan (#46): 4 hours, 9 minutes per day (8.5 score)
- Spain (#37): 5 hours, 40 minutes per day (19.7 score)
Among the three host nations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the United States ranked ahead of Canada but behind Mexico, which placed 16th overall with a score of 52.4.
The highest-ranked World Cup nations were overwhelmingly found in Latin America, with #3 Brazil (96.2 score), #6 Argentina (90.6 score), #5 Colombia (91.9), and #4 Chile (93.6 score) all landing near the top of the global rankings. #1 South Africa and the #2 Philippines topped the study with 9 hours and 37 minutes and 8 hours and 44 minutes total daily time spent on devices, respectively.
The findings suggest that screen dependency is a growing global phenomenon, particularly in regions where smartphone adoption, social media engagement, and internet access have rapidly expanded over the past decade.
A Familiar Trend for Cord Cutters
The findings align with another recent study that found many Americans are struggling with what researchers called “screen overload.” That data found viewers increasingly feel overwhelmed by the endless number of streaming services, apps, recommendations, and content choices available today. Many respondents reported spending significant amounts of time simply deciding what to watch before ever pressing play.
For cord cutters, the same technology that has given consumers more choice than ever before may also be contributing to digital fatigue. Between streaming services, social media platforms, smartphones, connected TVs, tablets, and laptops, Americans are spending more time in front of screens than at any point in history.
The latest rankings suggest that the trend isn’t slowing down.
The World Cup Could Push Screen Time Even Higher
The latest study comes just as FIFA World Cup 2026 begins. A separate global survey examining World Cup viewing habits found that fans increasingly plan to follow matches across multiple screens, often combining live matches with social media engagement, highlights, second-screen experiences, and real-time conversations online.
That behavior has become increasingly common during major sporting events, where viewers watch the game on one screen while simultaneously checking scores, social media, fantasy sports apps, or messaging friends on another.
For U.S. viewers, the World Cup will be more accessible than ever without a cable subscription. English-language coverage is available to stream on FOX One, while Spanish-language coverage is on Peacock, alongside traditional broadcasts across FOX Sports networks and Telemundo.
Even though the United States may not be the most screen-addicted country in the world, the new study suggests Americans remain among the heaviest users of connected devices compared to many of the nations competing in this year’s World Cup. With dozens of matches scheduled over the course of the tournament, many fans could find themselves adding even more hours to already screen-heavy days.
