Reels and Shorts time calculator: how much of your year goes to short videos
Type in how many minutes a day you spend on Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts or TikTok, and see what that adds up to in a week and a year. Add your age to see the total up to the age you choose. One hour a day comes to 365 hours a year, which is about 15.2 full days.
Made by Ayumu Kitabayashi, the developer of minulo. The calculation runs in your browser, and the numbers you type aren't saved or sent anywhere. The movie and book figures use the assumptions listed under the calculator.
How it's calculated
- Hours per week = minutes a day × 7 ÷ 60
- Hours per year = minutes a day × 365 ÷ 60
- Full days per year = hours per year ÷ 24
- Total up to an age = hours per year × (that age − your age). Divide by 24 for days, or by 8,760 (24 × 365) for years.
- Movies = hours per year ÷ 2. Books = hours per year ÷ 6.
- Hours you get back = (minutes now − new minutes) × 365 ÷ 60
Assumptions: a 365-day year, the same minutes every day, a movie of 2 hours and a book that takes 6 hours to read. Reading speed varies a lot, so treat the book figure as a rough guide. Full days are 24-hour days, sleep included.
Examples
The same formulas for a few common amounts. The last column assumes the same habit from age 20 to 80.
| Minutes a day | Hours per week | Hours per year | Full days per year | Age 20 to 80 (60 years) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1.75 | 91.25 | 3.8 | 5,475 h (about 0.6 years) |
| 30 | 3.5 | 182.5 | 7.6 | 10,950 h (about 1.3 years) |
| 60 | 7 | 365 | 15.2 | 21,900 h (about 2.5 years) |
| 120 | 14 | 730 | 30.4 | 43,800 h (about 5 years) |
| 180 | 21 | 1,095 | 45.6 | 65,700 h (about 7.5 years) |
Where the time goes
Each Reel or Short is short, and the next one starts as soon as you swipe, so there's no obvious point to stop. Sometimes it starts from something else: a friend sends a Reel in a DM, you open it, and the Reels feed carries on from there. On YouTube, Shorts have their own tab, and with autoplay on, the next video starts when one ends.
In minulo's own anonymous usage data, most social media sessions inside the app happen between 8 pm and 1 am (Japan time, where most of the data comes from).
What you can do about it
- At night: How to stop doomscrolling at night on iPhone (Downtime, Sleep Focus, Grayscale).
- YouTube: set the Shorts feed limit to 0 (adults can tap past it), and turn off autoplay.
- Instagram: hide suggested posts and turn off Reels while keeping DMs.
- Apps: free apps to block Reels and Shorts.
minulo is an iPhone app that hides Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and TikTok's For You while DMs keep working. Hiding them is free. A Reel a friend sends in a DM pauses before the endless feed starts, and Open for 5 min lets you watch for five minutes.
How many hours a year is one hour a day on Reels?
365 hours, which is about 15.2 full days, or 7 hours a week. The formula is minutes a day × 365 ÷ 60.
How do I work out how many years of my life go to short videos?
Multiply your minutes a day by 365 and divide by 60 to get hours per year, then multiply by the number of years up to the age you choose. Divide by 24 for days, or by 8,760 for years. For example, 60 minutes a day from age 20 to 80 is 21,900 hours, about 2.5 years.
Where can I see my daily time on Instagram or TikTok?
On iPhone, go to Settings > Screen Time, tap Daily Average, then choose Week or Day to see a summary of your usage.
Does this calculator save or send what I type?
No. The calculation runs in your browser, and the numbers you type aren't saved or sent anywhere.
Sources
