The digital takeover: We spend a third of our lives in front of screens

We spend nearly a third of our lives online, and the global survey commissioned by NordVPN confirms that this “colonization of time” by screens affects us all. On average, this amounts to several decades spent in front of a screen over a life expectancy of approximately 80 to 83 years, depending on the country.

A third of our lives online

The study, conducted in April 2026 among more than 20,000 internet users in 20 countries, shows that Canadians spend 25 years, 2 months, and 11 days of their lives online—nearly one-third of a lifetime. The calculation is based on each country’s average life expectancy and weekly time spent online, with Canadians spending more than 50 hours browsing, streaming, using social media, or interacting with AI tools.

Each activity is counted separately, meaning that listening to music while scrolling through your Instagram feed or chatting with an AI chatbot contributes to multiple counts simultaneously, further increasing the proportion of “digital existence.” This massive amount of screen time—now spanning from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. for a large portion of the Canadian population—illustrates the scale of the shift: daily life now largely unfolds through screens.

France: The warning about overexposure

In France, available figures confirm this trend toward a connected lifestyle, with particular concern for young people. Recent studies on children’s screen time show that in 2022, nearly all 3 to 11-year-olds were exposed to at least one screen every day, with the duration rising sharply with age.

The Citizens’ Convention on Children’s Time reports an average screen time of 4 hours and 48 minutes per day among 11–14-year-olds, excluding school hours—which, over a lifetime, already amounts to several decades spent sitting in front of a screen. French health authorities have, in fact, tightened their recommendations, going so far as to advocate a ban on screens for children under 3 and drastic limits on screen time through adolescence.

Belgium: More than 3 hours a day… and much more among young people

In Belgium, data from Statbel indicate that an adult spends an average of 3.7 hours a day online, with much higher peaks among 16 to 24-year-olds. Young Belgians regularly exceed 5 hours of screen time per day, which, when projected over a lifetime, also translates to about 20 years of life spent in front of screens.

When you add in the hours spent watching TV, playing video games, and working on a computer, the line between online and offline life becomes extremely blurred. Belgian studies also highlight the side effects: sleep disorders, increased sedentary behavior, and a potential impact on mental well-being, reminding us that this screen time is far from neutral.

Switzerland: Intensive but more discreet use

Switzerland is not the focus of the detailed study on Canada, but European and OECD surveys show similar patterns in terms of daily screen time. The Swiss fall in the upper-middle range among developed countries, with several hours of screen time per day—primarily via smartphones, streaming, and social media—which also adds up to several decades spent online over the course of a lifetime.

Comparative studies on screen time and well-being emphasize that, as elsewhere, the quality of usage matters just as much as the quantity: moderate, controlled screen time is associated with higher levels of satisfaction than excessive exposure exceeding 5 hours a day. For Switzerland, as for other countries, the question is therefore not just “how many years spent in front of screens?”, but “what kind of digital life will fill this third of our existence?”

Canada: 25 years of screen time

In Canada, the NordVPN survey provides one of the most striking snapshots: 25 years, 2 months, and 11 days spent online over a life expectancy of approximately 83 years. Canadian internet users spend an average of 50 hours and 58 minutes online each week, including more than 6 hours watching streaming content, 4 hours and 40 minutes on social media, and nearly 40 minutes each week interacting with AI chatbots.

For Marijus Briedis, CTO of NordVPN, this marks a “fundamental shift in the human experience,” with digital platforms gradually taking over our time, while the line between real life and online life is blurring. The more time we spend online, the greater our exposure to risks: personal data collection, privacy breaches, phishing attempts, as well as the dangers of misinformation.

Everywhere, the same pattern emerges: when we add up our hours online, we’re already spending a third of our lives in front of screens—the question is how to reclaim that time.