‘Concerned’ Husband Asks What To Do After Seeing His Wife’s Screen Time
The husband revealed the amount of time his wife spends on TikTok each day.
Dean Drobot / Shutterstock People are more attached to their phones than ever. And one man on Reddit seems to know this more than most. He turned to the online community, asking for advice after he saw just how much time his wife spends on TikTok daily.
Phones are now an integral part of our daily lives. But no one would argue with the fact that problems can arise when we stop using them as tools and start living through them. For some, screen time dominates everything; they tune out the world and those around them just to stay glued to a screen, and this man's wife is no exception.
A husband is worried about his wife's extensive screen time.
A concerned husband turned to Reddit asking for help after he discovered his wife's social media use. He wrote, "Last night I got curious and asked my wife to see her screen time since I notice she's on TikTok a lot. This is what I saw."
Reddit
This was just one of five photos that he posted, all with alarmingly high TikTok usage. The man clarified that he wasn't mad or upset with her; he was just concerned. In his post, he asked if others had dealt with similar situations and what, if anything, had helped. One commenter responded, “TikTok preys on similar brain chemistry to gambling. It’s an addiction.”
Seeing over 9 hours of TikTok usage in a single day is quite surprising. That’s more than a full-time workday. For context, recent statistics show that the average person globally spends around 95 minutes a day on TikTok. That means his wife’s screen time is nearly six times the global average. This isn't likely just a bad habit anymore. Especially when you consider that, in a week, her least active day was still 6 hours on the app.
Phone addiction is becoming a growing problem among young people.
A recent study took a deep dive into the growing concern of smartphone addiction among teenagers. Researchers surveyed 560 adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19, collecting data on usage habits, behavioral patterns, and psychological symptoms.
The findings concluded that 89.8% of participants owned a smartphone, and 64% of them showed signs of addiction. Those classified as addicted used their phones more frequently for gaming, watching videos, and browsing social media. Interestingly, the study did not find significant differences in physical or psychological health between addicted and non-addicted groups.
The researchers concluded that smartphone addiction is highly prevalent among teens and stressed the need for targeted interventions to address this emerging public health issue. But when it comes to teens and phone usage, high numbers in kids without strict screen time limits make sense since they simply have more free time than adults. As it turns out, adults are using social media at unhealthy levels as well.
Nearly half of adults feel like they are addicted to their phones.
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The older generations are no exception to the rule. A survey by Reviews.org revealed that over 43% of Americans admit feeling addicted to their phones. One of the reasons? Our phones are with us from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep; they’ve become constant companions.
An incredible 81% of people in the U.S. check their phones within just 10 minutes of waking up. Phones often rest right by our beds, and for many, picking them up is the very first thing they do each morning. In fact, over half of Americans keep their devices within arm’s reach while they sleep.
Bringing a phone when leaving the house is practically the norm: 78% of Americans say they never go out without it. And illustrating just how deeply ingrained these habits are, nearly half of Americans admit they haven’t gone more than 24 hours without their phone.
With all this data reinforcing just how common phone addiction has become, the husband in question might find some reassurance. Yes, his wife’s 9-hour TikTok days are extreme and probably unhealthy. But she’s far from alone. While it’s not normal, it’s also not rare.
Phone addiction is a serious issue. Like any other form of addiction, severe cases may require real intervention or treatment, as they can genuinely disrupt and damage a person’s life. Just because this behavior has become normalized doesn’t mean it’s harmless; many people are now living their lives entirely behind a screen.
Matt Machado is a writer studying journalism at the University of Central Florida. He covers relationships, psychology, celebrities, pop culture, and human interest topics.
