LONDON — Owning a smartphone often means spending excessive time scrolling through social media apps like Instagram, TikTok, or WhatsApp. This digital habit can be hard to break since smartphones and social media are crafted to be addictive. This is particularly challenging for younger users whose brains and decision-making abilities are still developing.
If you’re looking to reclaim more real-world time by reducing your phone usage, here are some strategies you might find beneficial:
**Remove Time-Wasting Apps**
One straightforward step is to delete apps that consume too much of your time. For instance, removing platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter) from your device can be a beginning. Although you may find yourself needing to reinstall them occasionally for specific tasks, the idea is to make it a hassle to access them frequently. The pitfall is that once reinstalled, you might not bother deleting them again.
**Leverage Built-In Features**
Both iPhones and Android devices have built-in tools to help monitor and manage screen time. These features are also handy for parents who want to oversee their children’s smartphone usage. Apple’s Screen Time settings allow users to establish Downtime, where all phone activity is paused within certain hours. You can also restrict categories of apps or set specific time limits on apps to encourage disciplined usage. However, it’s worth noting the controls are more suggestive than enforceable; users can easily bypass them if they choose.
Android series offers its Digital Wellbeing settings, featuring widgets that remind users of their screen time duration. Users can also establish separate profiles for work and personal use, effectively muting social media notifications during work hours.
**Minimize Distractions**
Reducing distractions can be done through small adjustments, such as using the Focus mode in iPhones to mute notifications. Similarly, Android’s Focus mode can pause notifications for distracting apps. Switching the phone’s display to grayscale from color can also lower its allure. Both iPhones and Android provide settings to enable this change.
Some Android models even encourage users not to check their phones while walking by activating the Heads Up feature.
**Use Third-Party Apps**
If built-in controls aren’t satisfactory, third-party apps like Jomo, Opal, Forest, Roots, and LockMeOut can help manage screen time. These applications often have free versions, but generally push for premium subscriptions that offer additional features. For example, Opal can block Facebook and display motivational messages when you attempt to access it, adding a delay that can be increased to enhance difficulty.
Similarly, an app called Jomo manages screen time by instituting a waiting period before unlocking certain apps. This delayed gratification model can be effective in curbing usage. Another app, OneSec, suggests taking a pause through a soothing screen prior to using blocked apps, though this can be easily bypassed.
Android-exclusive LockMeOut offers more robust restrictions through criteria like location and usage. However, deleting these apps can undo their efficacy, albeit some provide an uninstallation protocol to prevent this.
**Consider Physical Barriers**
For those who prefer tangible solutions over digital measures, some startups propose physical blockers. Devices like Unpluq, Brick, and Blok create a physical barrier between users and blocked apps by requiring a tag or a piece of plastic to unlock phone functionalities.
Alternately, phone lockboxes or cases could help, as do devices like Yondr’s locking pouches used in some public spaces to restrict smartphone access.
**Seek Professional Help**
For some, excessive smartphone usage could be symptomatic of underlying issues like anxiety or depression. Seeking help from a therapist may assist in addressing deeper concerns and developing healthier relationships with technology. Certain clinics now offer targeted services for “technology addiction,” focusing on social skills and alternative activities.
**Downgrade Your Device**
An extreme yet effective measure might be trading your smartphone for a basic mobile. Although this decision can reduce screentime significantly, it comes with compromises such as losing access to vital apps like navigation or banking services.
By exploring these various strategies, you may find an approach that helps you balance your digital and real-world interactions more effectively.
