Are You Spending More Time Scrolling Than Working?

The average full-time job takes up about 40 hours a week, but recent research shows that many New Zealanders are spending even more time than that staring at their personal screens. According to global and local data, the average Kiwi spends around six and a half hours a day on non-work screen time, while teenagers average six hours daily outside of their schoolwork. That adds up to a staggering 42 hours a week—leading Humm Breakfast hosts Vijay and Pooja to open up the phone lines and ask their listeners for an honest look at their daily phone habits.

The conversation quickly resonated with listeners across the city, starting with Sapna, who called in to confess to an eight-hour daily average. Calling herself a "doomscroller," Sapna admitted her time is spent almost entirely on Instagram reels and watching series on YouTube late into the night.

Not everyone’s screen time comes down to endless scrolling, though. Listener Ayfaz shared that his four to five hours a day are mostly functional, driven by GPS navigation for work and essential calls, with less than an hour spent unwinding on social media at home. Meanwhile, Parvinder confessed to a completely different digital habit: online shopping, admitting her phone time is dominated by browsing apps like Temu for quirky household gadgets and quick fixes.

Whether it is for navigation, late-night entertainment, or online shopping, the talkback segment highlighted just how deeply embedded screens have become in our daily routines—leaving listeners to ask themselves just how much time they spend looking at their own phones every day.