Felt Time Scale (FTS): Measuring how people experience screen time

Our field has been questioning whether self-reported media use actually captures the time spent using media, resulting in a shift from subjective to objective measurements. We advocate for a new paradigm that, instead of abandoning subjectivity, places it at the center of our research. To this end, we introduce a novel theoretical and methodological framework called 'felt time', which captures nuances in how individuals perceive the passage of time while interacting with media. In two studies (N1 = 68, N2 = 1,030), we develop and validate a measure called the Felt Time Scale (FTS) and its short version (FTS-S), revealing that studies relying on subjective self-reports or the more objective, tracked screen time may have overlooked a critical dimension of users’ media experience: felt time. We validate the scale in the context of screen media use and show empirically that screen engagement situationally alters how people feel time, producing unique effects. We conclude by proposing future directions that integrate this perspective, aiming to foster a more comprehensive understanding of screen time.