Between work, connecting with friends on social media, taking photos, writing shopping lists... we're all spending more time than ever staring at screens! According to App Annie, we are on our phones for an average of 4.8 hours a day — that's a lot of time.
A study by King's College London found that one in three people meet the criteria for a smartphone addiction, namely that they lose control over how long they spend, they are distressed when they cannot access their phone and they are neglecting other more meaningful parts of life.
If this sounds like you, it may be time for a digital detox. It may not be practical to lock your phone away — parents, in particular, may need their phones around in case their children need them or you might need it for work – but there are simple ways to stop yourself from staring at your device for hours on end.
Here are our top tips for spending less time on your phone.
Set timers
Set three or four alarms at various times during the day to signal that it's time to check your phone. Spend just two minutes checking notifications, opening social media apps etc. Set an alarm for two minutes later if you don't trust yourself to put it down in time.
Alternatively, use the Screen Time feature on iPhones running iOS 12 or the Digital Wellbeing app (available on some but not all Google Android smartphones). These handy tools not only let you see how often you pick your phone up and what apps you're using when you do pick it up, it also lets you set limits on how long you can use certain apps, so no more wasting hours playing Candy Crush!
For older phones Offtime (free iOS, Android) blanks out your home screen for the period of time you choose, although you can easily cancel it if you don't have the willpower.
Turn off phone notifications
When we see that little notification pop up, it's very hard to resist checking it. Turn any off that are not important. While you might want to keep notifications from meditation apps, you might be finding the ones from social media apps are unhelpful if you are trying to detox.
On an iPhone, open the Settings app and then head to notifications and tap the app you want to turn off notifications for. Now move the slider next to allow notifications. If you're using an Android smartphone, tap Settings followed by Apps & Notifications. Now click Notifications and select App Notifications to turn them on or off for various apps.
Don't want to turn notification off completely? Use Do Not Disturb mode which will stop notifications and calls from flashing up during set periods of time. Although you can opt to have Favourite numbers that will get through anyway, so you don't miss an emergency. On an iPhone, open the Settings menu and select Do Not Disturb. You can either set specific times it automatically switches to this mode, or turn it on and off manually.
Got an Android? Head to Settings and then choose Sound & Notification followed by Do Not Disturb. This is a great option for before you go to bed, too. 'Using your phone or other screens too close to bedtime can interfere with sleep, so putting your phone down a couple of hours before you want to go to bed may help you sleep', says Stephen Buckley.
If you're finding you have lots of notifications from various chats on Whatsapp, you can mute the chats you don't want to hear from. This way, you can keep notifications on for the people you want to, but won't be bothered by any chats that you don't want to keep up with or are trying to move away from.
Simply click onto the chat you want to mute, click on the chat name or contact at the top of the screen and you'll get an option to 'mute notifications'. You can then choose whether you want to mute the chat for eight hours, one week or one year.
Help young children with a digital detox
If they have an iPhone or iPad running iOS12 (the iPhone 5S and above can run iOS 12) or above, you can use the Screen Time function to to set limits for certain types of app, such as social networking apps like Instagram or Snapchat, games and even the web browser.
Once they've used up their time limit for the day, the app will be greyed out and unable to be opened. They can request more time but you don't have to accept the notification. Screen Time also lets you block access to certain websites or choose to block all but the websites you specify so you can leave them with the phone or tablet unsupervised safe in the knowledge they won't stumble across anything inappropriate.
If the iPhone is running iOS11 or below, head to Settings, General, Restrictions. From here you can block access to certain apps including the web browser and game centres but not social media or individual games downloaded from the app store. You may also want to install a child-friendly browser, too. The Mobicip Safe Browser is an easy-to-use option.
If you have a device running Android 4.3 or above, you’ll be able to create a dedicated user profile for your child that allows you to restrict the apps they use. Head to Settings and then Add user or profile. Alternatively, if your child is using an Android smartphone or tablet is running version 7 of the operating system or higher, you can install the Google Family Link app. This lets you block specific websites, choose which apps they can use and even set time limits on how long and when they can use the device. It's all controlled from the Family Link app on your smartphone.
Help older children with a digital detox
It's easier said than done to get teenagers off their smartphones. According to an Ofcom report on children's digital use, 83% of children aged 12-15 have a smartphone, and seven in 10 have some kind of social media account.
Ofcom also revealed over six in 10 parents think the benefits outweigh the risks when letting their children aged 12-15 access the internet. But, only six in 10 also believe their 12 - 15 year olds have a good balance between screen time and doing other things, meaning for many parents getting the balance right for their teenagers is a concern.
Of course, it's up to you whether you choose to implement parental controls to monitor your teenager's screen time. But if you want to allow them to take a more independent approach, encourage your teenage children to use timers and turn off their notifications from time to time, just like you would do.
Finding the right balance
Whilst it's important for your wellbeing not to be stuck to your phone, there's no denying smartphones are a good way of keeping in touch. Whether it's catching up over a video call using Facetime or Zoom, or just picking up your phone and making a call the good old fashioned way, it's important to check in with your loved ones.
Needless to say, it's all about balance. Although it's important to know when you've spent enough time on your phone, staying connected is important, and using your phone can be a great way to do this.
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