Montreal adults spending more of their free time on screens, public health finds – CBC

Leisure time spent on screens increased by 13% between 2018 and 2025

Jan 20, 2026

Adult Montrealers have been spending significantly more of their free time in front of screens since 2018, according to the city’s public health officials.

A study released Tuesday by the regional public health department of the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal shows that the proportion of individuals using screens for more than two hours a day for leisure jumped 13 per cent between 2018 and 2025.

The data was collected between March and June 2025 as part of a survey on gambling and screen use among adults in Montreal. The survey was designed by a team from the regional public health department and Concordia University. Some 4,002 adults residing on the Island of Montreal answered a phone questionnaire.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/public-health-screen-time-montreal-study-9.7051643