Screen Time was one of the headline features of iOS 12, intended to help us monitor the amount of time we spend using our iPhones, and to set limits for ourselves. The latest 12.2 beta allows even greater control. But reducing screen time, and other approaches to so-called digital detoxing, don’t seem to be very effective …
A survey of more than a thousand people reveals that cutting back on screen time doesn’t last, reports CNET.
This was despite almost a third of them feeling that reducing screen time was important.
Respondents tried tactics to limit their screen time including reducing the number of notifications they get (46 percent), putting their phones on a “do not disturb” setting (44 percent), designating “no phone or device” times (38 percent) and turning their devices off for a certain amount of time (37 percent).
The problem, said respondents, was that we’re so reliant on tech, that significantly cutting our usage isn’t realistic.
A recent report shows that we now spend more than a quarter of our lives online, half of it on mobile devices.
Many feel that screen time isn’t just about the hours and minutes, but what we are doing while using our devices. Without that understanding, we can’t know whether the time is helpful or harmful.
Indeed, some academics argue that getting the level of understanding needed may require a controversial approach.
What’s your view of the whole debate around reducing screen time? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
But the only way we can get a real understanding of the impact of different types of screen time is, say researchers, to have access to more data – a lot more data.
Photo: Shutterstock
