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What is a healthy amount of smartphone screen time?
You’re not going to get very far in life–in terms of achievement, contentment, or anything else you care about–if you don’t have a healthy relationship with your phone. There’s abundant research on the hidden costs of the internet and smartphones by those with more expertise and devotion than most of us1,2,3,4(#ComissionsEarned), but, in this case, our intuition can also serve as a guide.
Do you think anyone you admire—your favorite artist, intellectual, or role model–spends hours scrolling Instagram, Reddit, and/or the news every day?
Never mind others, how do you feel on days when you spend hours alone on your phone?
Unfortunately, many of us do not have a clear understanding of what a healthy relationship with our phone looks like. How much time is it okay to spend on our phones? Does it matter if that time is spent reading Wikipedia vs scrolling TikTok?
I am not going to define what ‘healthy’ looks like for you because the answer will vary based on your unique circumstances.
That said, we all have a lot in common—genetics and culture most importantly—and there are some smart phone activities that are more or less universally detrimental to well-being such as:
- Using any of the following apps:
- Facebook (excluding marketplace)
- TikTok
- Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, or any other streaming service
- Candy Crush, Clash of Clans, or any other time-wasting mobile games
- New York Times, CNN, Fox News, or any others major news media
- Screen time over 1 hour per day
- Excluding some apps like Google Maps, apps necessary for our work, or times when we need cute cat videos to cheer us up
- When you need to use the internet for learning, writing, or anything that requires focus, you’re better off accessing the internet on another device
- Entertainment is also better on other devices (bigger screens, better sounds, more comfort, less interruptions, and better content (for video games at least))
- Using your phone within 30 minutes of waking up or going to bed
- Being on your phone in the presence of loved ones, especially those you do not see often
Now I’d be surprised if you fully agree with these statements because there is a book’s1,2,3,4 worth of discussion to be had about why these behaviors are bad. You may also disagree because you, like me, are addicted to your smartphone and addicts are experts in justifying their actions.
Regardless how strongly you agree with my list of unhealthy activities, I’m confident you will agree that your relationship with your phone is a problem—it sort of has to be for you to be reading this.
However, smart phones are so integral to our daily life that it’s difficult to imagine an existence without them…but not impossible.
After years of struggling to create a healthy relationship with technology, I finally decided to put some serious thought behind how to fix this relationship. Those struggles taught me not only what works, but also what does not work, including much of the common advice out there.
Let’s discuss the most effective ways to decrease your smartphone screen time.
A framework + tips to decrease smartphone screen time
It may seem obvious, but the most effective ways to decrease smart phone usage have nothing to do with your smartphone. There is only so much you can do once you pick up your phone, the most effective solution is finding ways to pick up your smartphone as infrequently as possible.
I could simply list a bunch of tips and tools, but it’s also necessary to understand the ‘why’ to get the most out of your efforts.
Thus, I present a framework for how to decrease screen time:
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Open in new tab Now, I recognize there are two substantial challenges with this framework. Firstly, some of these solutions require money and you may be debating whether they are worth the investment. When it comes to spending money I’m generally skeptical of it’s ability to create enduring happiness, however, investing is different than spending. Do not be stingy in investing in yourself; if you are able to decrease screen time, you will gain far more than you have lost.
Secondly, the ‘alternatives’ lever is more complicated than it appears. People use their phones in different ways so I recommend beginning with the simple exercise of:
- writing down all the ways you use your phone
- brainstorming alternatives
It should take less than 5 minutes to come up with something helpful like this:
Still there is a large gap between identifying you could benefit from a mp3 player and actually making that a reality so I will write a follow-up to help navigate which mp3 players, dumb phones, smart mirrors, etc. are best if there’s enough interest.
And the best way to show your interest is by sharing this article with friends and/or commenting below!
Edit: luckily there is an active community at https://www.reddit.com/r/dumbphones/ also trying to answer this question and one of the mods put together an extremely helpful website to find a ‘dumbphone’ based on your specific needs.
For most people I think the Cat S22 is the ideal phone to decrease screen time. The screen is small making it much less appealing to use for streaming and scrolling, however, it still has the full functionality of a smartphone to call Ubers, listen to Spotify, check your email, or send money via Venmo. A true dumbphone is an extreme lifestyle change so I recommend trying something less disruptive first.
Appendix – my favorite anti smartphone art
Links to the art (to support the artists):