Screen time, a word that is often thrown around in the media and even in Medical journals and papers. That’s because we are so addicted to our phones that it is hard for u to do anything other than be on them.
What’s America’s Average Screen time?
According to MIT Technology Review, we spend 24 hours a week on average ingesting media, whether that is watching, reading, or listening. The sad reality is that most of us probably spend significantly more than that. It easy to just reach for your phone when you have nothing to do, or even when you do. Maybe you just scroll mindlessly because that’s what your use to doing, or maybe your watching a video on youtube because you have nothing else to do. Either way, Media is causing serious issues among our citizens. We are seeing an increase in addiction to phones, and even in addition to gaming.
I myself spend about 38 hours per week on my phone, and that’s JUST my phone. Not including my work computer, my personal computer, and my TV/Gaming systems. If you do the math; just for that device, the time spent on my phone is equivalent to 1/4th of the year!
Why don’t we just turn away?
It’s simple – we have a problem. App developers are clever, and marketers are very good at what they do. Marketing is essentially the act of pulling on someone’s emotional state and manipulating it to benefit yourself or your company. That’s exactly what is happening, you could go on YouTube and just to go watch one video, an next thing you know it turns into 3 hours of YouTube because the content is so compelling to watch that you get sucked into an endless loop.
What’s the solution?
We the solution seems to just be trying your best to ignore these ads and promotional content. It is extremely hard, however, if your goal is to reduce screen time this may be the best bet for you.
How do I reduce screen time?
The best option for reducing screen time is to block ads. Maybe consider deleting the social media apps you use the most could help reduce screen time.
Screen time is at an all-time high, and there are ways that it can be reduced. However, the options are there. If this is something that is serious to you and you want to reduce screen time consider these options.