Generally speaking, screen time is the time an individual spends each day gazing at his smartphone, television, laptop or any other visual output producing gadget. Owing to the rapid advancement of technology and digitalization, more and more individuals are getting into the world of technology; and the existing ones are gradually increasing their screen time, to catch up with the ever-expanding world.
No, increased screen time not a matter of fact to be pleased with. Spending more time with your gadgets brings along its own set of disadvantages too. Increased chances of obesity, lack of vision, poor sleep, a decrease in cardiovascular and respiratory efficiency are some of the prominent diseases that may arise due to the overuse of gadgets. Here we will discuss some of the most effective ways to reduce screen time:
- Turning off notifications
Well, most of the time, it is the notifications that make us pick up our phone. We may be studying, making projects or completing assignments, but as soon as a notification comes, our hand automatically approaches the phone beside us and presses its power button to light the screen up. Not only our concentration is disturbed in the process, but sometimes, if we pick up our phone to check the notification, we end up checking all the social media apps, which set us back by 20-30 minutes at once. Try turning off the notifications of the various apps, and allow notifications from important apps like your college’s official one, so that you don’t miss out on a piece of important information.
- Turning off the internet when not in use
This is indeed the best option. There are certain times, you know when you will not be using the internet. Press it off then. Why make up a way for notifications to crawl in? No internet, no notification, thus no screen time, as simple as that.
- Taking a break from social media
A majority of the time spent on smartphones by students goes to various social media apps. On average, an individual spends nearly 2.5 hours on social media as per the “Global Web Index’s Social Media Trends 2019 Report”. What you can do is delete a social media app from your phone for a few days in the beginning. Set up a limit, like a week, reinstall it after the time limit is over, use it for 2-3 days and then again uninstall it. Keep doing it for a few rounds, and eventually, a day will come when you will not have the urge to tap on the app even though the app is installed on your phone. Well, living without social media might seem to be forlorn, but believe me, billions of people around the world are living happily without social media.
- Take up a hobby
We tend to pick up our gadgets when we have nothing to do and when we are bored. Pick up a hobby, like painting, painting, doodling or even creative writing and indulge yourself in it when you are bored or have nothing to do. The more you will keep yourself busy, the more you will forget about your phone, and the more you will do good to yourself. And yes, going out to play will add up to the benefits too, instead of playing online games, which only creates a workout for your fingers.
- Use the statistics
Your phone always tracks down the amount of time you spend on each of the apps. Use the statistics and compete against yourself. Suppose you used your phone for a total of 2 hours today, from tomorrow onwards, try to keep the time less as compared to today. Compete against yourself each day. So, the next time you pick your phone up, you will be reminded of the time limit before you press the power button, and if not necessary, you will keep it down.
