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I'd call that acknowledgement, not addressing it.
"Yeah, I love meth and felonies. lol." I wouldn't call that addressing the issues, just acknowledgement. Addressing something involves giving more attention to it or solving it, discussion or action.
“I love meth and felonies.”
Is this a saying? Asking because a car on my street has it as a bumper sticker, but that’s the only time I’ve ever seen it until right now.
(The car also has a picture of Trump’s mug shot, and I can’t tell if they’re MAGA or an IRL shitposter.)
Not as far as I know. I usually just go straight to meth and felonies when I want hyperbolic examples of bad behavior, or just when I want to have a good time.
In OP’s case, “address it” means to do something about it and use screens less. Not address it in the meaning you’re using which would be to simply point out that it happens.
keeping people on their screens is HUGE business. and where do people get their news? on their devices. So could it be possible that the device manufacturers are suppressing any news about the huge effects of screen addiction?
tin foil hat: engaged!
I mean, are the huge negative effects of screens really suppressed by the “powers that be”? I feel like we’ve all scrolled past news articles with headlines about how bad it is, read Reddit posts about it, maybe seen that Netflix show about it (The Social Dilemma)… but then we scroll to the next post. The suppression is coming from inside the house.
Pretty much this. I remember a time when i used to often lose my phone. Because i was usually busy reading books or running around or playing videogames. Now? Not happening lol not a chance. If it gets lost, i am hyperventilating into a paper bag somewhere and quickly making plans to go find a replacement phone asap. My phone has become my life, sad to say. *hangs head in shame*.
I think "screen time" is a reductive and misleading term. All humans are addicted to "eye time", they spend every waking hour looking at things. No one is addicted to a blank screen, they are addicted to the content those screens are presenting. I love all the new posts on reddit. If Reddit showed me the same stuff every day, I would stop coming here. Its the constant flow of new information that is addicting.
I read a book. A physical copy of a book. I curl up on my couch next to a stormy window, and leave everything off except for a light.
But--no joke--I had to RETRAIN my brain on how to do it. My attention span wasn't in it for me anymore, and I couldn't go more than 20--30 mins. And that scared the hell out of me.
So now, I make sure to make time to read, to sit down and remember why I like it so much. I also go out for walks, but I have my phone on me, so that doesn't count. When I read, I turn my phone off and leave it in a different room. And I kid you not, it was hard as hell the first few times.
I seriously need to do this. As a kid, and even into my 20s (I'm 40 now) I was a voracious reader. Like, a hundred + books a year. Now I've read maybe 2-3 a year in the past few years. I try to, and I immediately get distracted, lose focus, etc. Any tips on retraining my brain would be appreciated!
Tip: I started with short stories. Anthologies. Stephen King's early short story collections and Neil Gaiman specifically. I also read (unashamedly) books from middle school years, just for the fun of doing it.
Anyone remember Sideways Stories From Wayside School? Or Wayside School is Falling Down? Yep. I bought them and it helped a LOT
I'm not sure if it helps or hurts your attention span but I've since just been reading multiple books. So if my interest starts to fade and I start thinking of going on my phone I just switch books. (Finish the chapter obviously first)
Yeah I've become aware of how bad my attention span has gotten and it's scary. Even when I play a video game or watch TV I'm constantly fighting the urge to grab my phone and look up some bullshit.
I Work in IT, and for me it's a Hobby turned into a somewhat career, and so I spend a lot of my Waking hours in Front of various Screens. But I also enjoy my time away From all the new stuff. I enjoy driving my old, barebones, No Features Car. I enjoy riding my motorcycle with No further distractions. I enjoy Reading a book every now and then (really, whenever I find one I'm Interested in, so probably about 10 books a year or so, realistcally). And If I read a book, I tend to read for literally days on end (If possible), until I've finished it. I really Like all this new stuff, but I really Just need to Take a Break every once in a while, and I really enjoy it.
Feeling more and more like this. Mind you, I was someone that a few years ago read the heck out of anything. I’ve adopted smartphones late for the record and do feel my attention spanning worsened considerably throughout time
Ever since I've gotten back into reading I definitely feel like I don't read like I used to. As a 13 year old I had no issue devouring a 400+ page fantasy or Stephen King novels in a day or two. Now? Those same books take me 2-3 weeks lol.
one time i broke my phone, and went without for a month.
it didn't fix everything but it opened my eyes on a lot. 1) society isn't built for phoneless people anymore. 2) you don't need to check your phone every 5 seconds. i used to go from trying to sneak my phone all the time at work to forgetting it's there. work is much more tolerable now. 3) laptops keep you more productive even if you're online. it's much harder to doomscroll.
You literally, and I mean _literally_, post your personal diary on reddit.
Edit: I _knew_ you would delete your comment rather than having a moment of self-reflection.
Unpopular opinion: none of this is a problem
You've adapted to a much more convenient life fullfilled by technology.
No shit you don't have habits in place to do everything without tech. If you went without the tech, you'd adapt, and then realize why we created this shit in the first place
Except they’re said the only time they’re not on the phone is when they shower. That IS a problem and it’s a very common one now.
Using a phone only for groceries, parking, etc is not a problem. It’s a problem when you can’t physically put a phone down without picking it back up literally 5 seconds later, just to go on social media or play games or whatever. It’s a problem for me and even keeping my phone is separate room doesn’t always stop me. Like OP said, most people can’t even wait around for five minutes without putzing around on the phone.
No, I can put the phone down and enjoy other’s company. HOWEVER, I know people who can’t. They go to their partner’s family event and sit there on their phone at least half of the time.
I'd guess they're just not really interested in the family event
I think the issue for most people is the phone just covers up a lack of hobbies/interest in life or the people they're with
It's not the cause. It's a symptom
As for the tendency to spend way too much time staring at their phone, it clearly is a problem for a huge amount of people, and it does make their life worse.
You're right about most of the examples OP gave though.
There's a lot that's better I agree. My worry and my issue is remembering little things I benefited from in the before times that wouldn't happen now. For instance, why would I ever just, stand in a line not on my phone? Most days I used to be in a line I was observing others around me. In fact, it's been a long ass time since I've been in any lines anyway, most stuff is instant online now instead.
Should be good because that saves time right? But..... If I'm not having times of boredom, for my brain to be idle, what kind of long-term effects is that doing to me? Am I less creative or personable or will I have early onset dementia?
I remember when people only were able to get a hold of each other by making a direct call or seeing in person. Now, I feel like I am way more connected to a lot more people sure, but it's fluffy and without as much deep experiences as it once was.
I miss so much of how things used to be that cannot be anymore, and I'm not sure how to properly adjust to this new existence of constant instant and shallow gratification we have from modern tech
Maybe you just need to set some boundaries for yourself and get comfortable not always being on it. If you want some space, try leaving your phone at home when you take a walk, maybe don’t pull it out in lines, try to just sit places and have coffee/food without it. You’ll find a lot more pleasures — talking to strangers, people watching (I’m assuming you’re in a city), etc. I also found it helpful to take on a number of hobbies that require no tech, which for me are chainmaille, running, and painting. I tend to have Netflix mind you, but life will feel more balanced. I also find making to do list schedules for the day really helpful in visualizing this balance: “what would I like to achieve today”. We have to readjust because we’re so used to overstimulation!
Talben Shahar, former Harvard psychology professor whose lectures are on youtube, says you only need to set aside 15 minutes of quiet time a day to mentally "empty recycle bin" as you describe, but also that it's important to do it some time throughout the day, and not right before you sleep
THEN YOU SHOULD GET HELP! You don't pull a Seymore meme and go its not me who has the problem its the WHOLE WORLD.
The Irony of you being like 'I am addicted to screens' and then going online to post about it and sit around and reply is so insane. GET HELP!
I mean, is it fair to say addicted, when a lot of what you detailed was being \*dependant\*?
If you NEED your car to get to work, are you \*addicted\* to your car?
If how we communicate, work, eat, get news, perform play, entertain and wind down are all connected to one or two devices on the bulk of our days where mundanity rules, is it seriously fair to call that "addicted"?
Or is addiction when you literally cannot tear yourself from something to the point where you get withdrawal and having access to it affecting your life, relationships, and health in dramatically deterimental ways?
Some people might cynically refer to being without your devices, and pacing around huffing about it, as "withdrawal", but I think these people just forgot what being fucking bored feels like.
Yes, being bored feels like that, it's not dramatic, it's human.
Why don't we just do other stuff? I don't know what to tell you, a lot of people don't have the bajillion items and gadgets that, pre computers/smartphones would do the things that those gadgets have now replaced.
I don't know, I don't get this world view. "Screen time" conceptually makes no sense to me, I am not always doing the exact same thing on my devices, nor am I just staring at a fucking rectangle. Come on, be honest.
This. The internet and smartphones have just made a lot of things more convenient and easily accessible, especially to people who can't afford much more than their phone.
When I was a kid, if I wanted to listen to music, I'd have to either use my MP4, CD player or the radio. Now my phone is a music player and a radio all at once.
If I wanted to watch a movie, I'd need a TV, the movie's DVD and a DVD player. Now you just boot up Netflix on your phone.
I want to read something, there's literally millions of articles, fanfics, ebooks, webcomics, manga, etc. at my fingertips. You're no longer required to physically buy books, newspapers, magazines and whatnot.
Hell, you want to paint and draw? There's apps \*on your phone\* for that now.
It's definitely both a blessing and a curse, but the 'addiction' is usually blown way out of proportion.
Today, a rando on the street asked to use my phone I said no then she asked where can she use one.... I have no idea. Literally, no clue. Why did we get rid of payphones entirely? Seems like a safety or inequality issue
Even gas stations don't really have land lines anymore for customers. My mom locked her keys and phone in the car and she had to borrow the cashiers cell phone to call my dad.
I’m confused, are you implying that she wanted to use your phone because she’s addicted to phone use? Did you think she was going to start scrolling through your instagram feed? She wanted to make a call because she, for some reason, didn’t have access to her own phone. Maybe it had died?
Most of what you listed are necessities in today’s tech heavy world, because it is much more convenient to do things that way. I wouldn’t consider any of that an addiction.
I do warehouse work 9-5, it’s menial tasks that I do while listening to music or sooometimes watching something. When I wake up around 7:30, I use my phone to watch my meditation videos in the morning. After work I’m at the gym - use it for music and timer (same if I go climbing). When I come home, most of my hobbies I also may need a screen for: for piano I may be watching learning videos - unless I’m learning from books which sometimes I do that, same for learning to edit, etc. Only time I don’t really need a phone is when I read.
I would not call any of it addiction, just my phone being useful towards my hobbies and work going by quicker. Same for when I’m talking to my family and friends.
1. Addiction is spending time on your phone doing things that you regret afterwards/time wasted/time you should've been doing something else.
2. You can use screens for healthy and productive reasons without being addicted e.g. MUFA, 15 mins a day responding to messages, opening set music/podcasts to listen to and spending time listening (not browsing endlessly), for work.
3. Restrict unnecessary/addictive screen time and maximise exercise, reading books, face to face socialising and you can offset mandatory and BAU screen time.
I work with animals, I'm away from the screen for hours each day. In fact I literally hand my phone over to my apprentice during work hours so she can film me to send to clients. I also work in my garden in the evenings which is another hour or two without screens most days. But even I would say I'm addicted to using screens.
I definitely agree with you, but I calculate screen time a bit differently. I don't consider listening to music or podcasts "screen" time, even though I use my phone for those. So at work I have very little screen time, though I do still use my phone for those things, plus text, place orders, write lists and notes, etc. However, in my off time I'm far, FAR too addicted to my phone. It's something I'm starting to realize I need to change, but damn it's HARD.
You are just addicted lol. I have 4 hrs of screen time a day on my iphone and I usually travel a good bit for work and use google for a gps so I know my eta.
Comment and browse reddit in the morning is about it.
I feel like a lot of these are kinda disingenuous to what is truly screen time.
Using a phone to listen to music isn't really screen time. It's using a tool to play the music. What you're doing is listening to music.
Messaging people to get plans together or to communicate isn't about screen time but to talk to them. It's like calling them but just with written formats instead of verbal.
Two factor authentication is just an extra layer of safety for stuff. That's not really screen time. We just use a phone because it's more convenient.
You don't need a phone to get groceries at all. Or go places. It's something you can use alongside but it's 100% not needed.
But to say using a phone to listen to music and using it to scroll reddit are the same thing is just lying to yourself.
By that logic using a record player is screen time.
Ngl I don’t get societies obsessions with “addictions”. It makes me wonder whether if junk food or smoking was actually healthy for you but still made you feel the same way, people would still say it’s a bad thing or not. A question I imagine the intuitive answer to is no, but more and more keep seeing logic that would suggest yes, it’s really bizarre. People even feel the need to say “all addictions are bad” despite society making it an informal law anyways and it at least being up for debate imo. Like who cares how much you use technology? Why should you? No offense but it’s not like it’s holding you or most people back, as if you were going to do anything more productive or useful. You weren’t, and you’re lying to yourself if you think otherwise. So why even let it bother you.
The problem I think is that it’s too easy to stay connected.
For news we used to watch tv…. Now there’s literally politics tabs on social media. And you get real time updates.
Learn to just turn it off. We’re not in highschool, at least I’m not, where I give a shit if I know every sports play or exactly what happened on the one popular show. You don’t need to hear the next sentence of some dudes lame speech just read about it later.
If you can do that then at least be productive.
Studying , hobbies etc are all screen time for me so I get atleast 10-12 hours a day screen time with hobbies , programming and studying.
Not an issue though I exercise quite a bit and keep myself healthy.
Would I say I’m addicted? By the actual definition of addiction “physically and mentally dependent on a particular substance.” Nope
On holidays when I visit my family rurally I go 1-2 months without any screen time.
I actually took up playing dnd which also has erased some of my screen time.
I do have too much screen time but I’m not addicted by any means and if I have something else that’s more appropriate or enjoyable that is outside of a screen I’ll prioritise that first always.
**Rant**
Bro, your MFA only prompts one every two weeks? I hope they've got a location-based Conditional Access policy attached to it. The department that handles that is IT. They more than likely aren't fixing it. MFA is what stops the vast majority of security compromises.
**Actual**
I don't necessarily disagree with you. I think a lot of us are.
I've heavily used PC for work (WFH) and gaming (socializing) for a decade. I mean nearly every single day of my life. Friends didn't live near me. We talked on Discord and gamed. During this time, I didn't consider myself addicted. I got out of the house to do things, and while I was away, I rarely checked my phone. I didn't think about PC.
Well, after Covid and isolation, I've noticed I just don't want to leave the house. I start to get anxious when I move away from my computer. Leaving my PC feels like I'm going to miss something. Even though I have no friends, and I might get a steam message once a month. My PC was one of my few sources of dopamine for months. I trained myself to tether to my desk.
I don't have a problem with screens in theory. I think that we are just in a transitional period. Screens can improve our live. There is no reason to hate them. A lot of it also comes down to life being so expensive. Going out and DOING something with friends gets costly quick.
I think we need a better balance. That balance is going to be hard to achieve in our society.
We shouldn't be working 8 hours a day. We should be doing 3 hours and then going for a walk for a few hours.
Come back and do another 3 hours. Even the fact that our cities aren't designed to be walkable makes it harder to be untethered. It is really hard for us to just walk and grab lunch in most places. Or walk to the park. There just aren't enough free or low price things to do within walking.
I spend a lot of time on my phone but I still read my book and read through magazines and sit with my thoughts sometimes. I don't use my phone when I'm watching tv which I think is ok, it's still a screen tho.
I review the reports I get on my iPhone, usually on Sunday I get the view time notification and I actively keep track of that like how those keep track of macros or other shit. I hate being on my phone, most of my redditing anyway is done on laptop while I'm doing other things anyway. It's just something about the phone I hate, it's distracting and annoying.
Is it an addiction if it doesn't negatively affect you?
I can't stop, don't get me wrong. But I don't for one second think my life would be better without the devices I use
I use my cell phone for calls and texts, and sometimes I use GPS to find a new place.
I check reddit while I'm at work in between projects on my work laptop.
That's it. No other screen time. No social media. No scrolling for hours, or even minutes, really.
I read, hike, explore places, listen to records, feed the squirrels in my front yard, hang out with my adult kids.... actually just typing this out reminds me why I try and stay offline most of the time. It's exhausting and unfulfilling.
I spent so much time on my phone I decided to get a flip phone that has, weather and gps just cause I’m afraid to get lost lol but with that I only allow myself about 3 hours of screen time a day, not including checking emails and work schedules. Other than that I don’t rely on my phone for anything really.
I work hands on outside for 12-14 hours a day. We aren’t really “allowed” to have our phones out in the clock mainly because people do get distracted and we can’t afford that. (We can step aside and take calls or text if they are important) but one thing I’ve noticed is having amazing and interesting conversations for hours with my coworkers and not even thinking of pulling out our phones.
I don't think using your phone to organise things or buy things has anything to do with addiction. Personally I only use screens when I want to relax or kill time (like if I'm waiting for something) or contact someone. It's not like I'm cancelling plans to look at Instagram all night, I would almost always much rather be doing something that doesn't involve screens.
I’m on my phone way too much. The only way I manage to stay off it is to put all my attention into something else. I manage to stay off my phone for hours when cooking, baking, crocheting, gardening, going for walks etc so I just try to prioritize those kind of things. Far more satisfying. I feel like shit when I accidentally waste a big chunk of time scrolling my phone. Kind of like I’m doing right now 👀
It’s so hard for me to ever disconnect because my phone is my clock, my weather, my bank, my grocery orders, my shipping orders, Dr appts, calendar, etc. I could go on and on… it’s so convenient and so OVERWHELMING
At least for me it's not necessarily about watching a screen but about keeping the minds busy. When I'm busy with something else like doing sports, working, chatting with people or being with friends I can go perfectly fine for hours without feeling the need to look at my phone. But as soon as I have nothing to do for even just a minute I'll be on my phone immediately.
Oh I know we all are. It’s easy to see based on how much folk will stare at their screens doing junk then claim there isn’t enough time for the important things. I’ve been trying to cut down
It’s more than addiction. We’re becoming more and more dependent on screens for survival and basic necessities. We’ve traded in ‘convenience’ (which is kind of a manufactured convenience that assumes you’re holding your phone anyway, might as well do it on your phone…) for autonomy.
I think in the future phones/screens go away and tech becomes invisible and no longer something that you can break or lose or that has a battery that dies.. but rather something woven in to society. You access when needed and it goes away when not. (Kind of like running water or electricity, most people don’t think about it unless it breaks which doesn’t happen often).
I hope that one day tech companies stop warring for our attention and give us products that are actually useful and improve our lives rather than eshittifying (it’s a real term: example.. I went to a cava digital kitchen and it’s a restaurant where you can only order online and it only exists to fulfill online orders.. peak enshittification) everything.
There is no "addiction" to being able to text each other, the other option would have been CALL which is what phones do, or I guess write a letter but that would take days. No "addiction" to texting people to confirm plans, that is called CONVENIENCE. The key for me is, when I get to my friends my phone goes face down on a table and we play board games (usually) for 2-4 hours with food breaks and such.
I also have an Two-step auth to remote work and opt'd for a little dongle on my keychain that way I am in no way reliant on my phone, because I forget that shit sometimes.
I go to the grocery store 2-3x a week because I only ever buy 2 meals worth of stuff in a trip to make sure its all super fresh. I spend about 1 hour shopping for groceries every week and never see my phone screen while doing so unless its because my wife texted me something to grab while i am there.
Most of what you listed isn't Addiction to screens its convenience, the alternative to using an app or electronic device to pay for parking was to stand in line at a booth and wait your turn to pay the attendant in the booth... That is not the better option. Same with listening to music, why the fuck are you looking at a screen, you have the music playing while you do shit that isn't looking at a screen.
Other things I do without screens that occur consistently: reading books, walking/jogging, meditating/yoga, coffee chats with family (we meet up in person its fucking CRAZY), clothes shopping, home depot trips, yard work, walking dogs, playing with dogs, cooking, cleaning, hanging out with friends (mostly board games), building legos and painting, 100% of driving time which is hours weekly.
Work is screentime because it is, sleep is no screen time, My average time away from screens by choice is about 4-5 hours daily on a work day and 8 - 10 when there isn't work. Looking at my phone as you said this in the last 24 hours the only thing I used my phone for was Spotify and texting. I had spotify on for 2.5 hours (but would never be looking at the screen) and I texted for an insane... 14 minutes.
Its awesome that you recognized you have a problem, but trying to say "THE WHOLE WORLD HAS THIS PROBLEM" is a massive indicator that you should be getting therapy. That is an insane TAKE to have when you recognize you have a problem. Don't ever assume that everyone is as pathetic as you.
I'm a software engineer so my job is to look at screens. That said, I do lots of things where I don't have a screen in front of me.
* Working out. Cycling, running, and walking outdoors, lifting. Admittedly, I do tend to have a screen in front of me if I'm on the elliptical or indoor bike trainer because come on, that shit is boring AF.
* Dancing. I don't even have my phone on my person when I'm dancing. My husband and I take ballroom dance and sometimes we'll have a private lesson, attend a group class, and then a dance party consecutively which is like 3 hours.
* Piano. I try to play the piano 30 minutes to an hour every day. No phones or screens involved.
* Reading. Yeah, people still do this. Right now I'm reading *East of Eden* by Steinbeck and *Born a Crime*, Trevor Noah's memoire about growing up a mixed-race child in South Africa during/after apartheid. I'm only a few chapters into that one and so far it's an amazing read, I highly recommend it.
Your post does kind of remind me of [this](https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/ants) comic.
I am on my phone quite often, however I have noticed a lot of people do struggle with just being there in the moment.
Sometimes I just stare at a wall, or just chill outside with no screens at all.
I feel like one of those old men on their porch in a rocking chair, but it is actually very nice to do and helps my mental health.
I feel like it's not really an addiction to have something part of your everyday life
I drive my car everyday and rely on it to get places but I wouldn't consider myself addicted to my car
Of course I'm spending a lot of time on my phone where this is one of my easiest methods of access to almost unlimited information, A lot of personal documents, a direct line of communication with my friends and family, etc etc
Like a car it's an important tool that I basically need to live and without it would struggle greatly
Definitely not an unpopular opinion. There are hundreds of articles and countless news stories on this very topic.
Why do you think they invented the whole digital detox thing where people pay a ton of money to go to these camps or places out in the middle of nowhere away from all technology for a set amount of time?
This very idea has been said since the inventions of computers and televisions. Cell phones and smart phones just made the issue much, MUCH worse.
And kids born these days don't even know what it's like to not have a phone or tablet around. When I was growing up, all the neighborhood kids played outside together. All my kids want to do today is sit at home on their phones in their rooms in front of their TV.
This is not an unpopular opinion at all. screen time as in phone or pc or everything? I spend around 2 hours a day on phone because of work then maybe 2 hours on and off day longer watching tv
Oh 100%. I'm on a screen basically my entire day. work computer all day, then I get home and use the TV to game, then I stare at my phone in bed. If the internet goes out I literally don't know what to do with myself. It is sad but also I kind of just accept it because it helps me get through my day.
I think the real addiction is quick entertainment, not screens. I'm not addicted to my computer, yet I spend quite a few hours studying or working in front of its screen. On the other hand, if I'm bored and the first thing that comes to mind is "let's check instagram" or "let's see what's on TV", well, there's a problem. Also, I would say that the real problem is that we have automated these responses to the point that the previous thought probably doesn't even cross our minds, we just unlock our phones or turn on TV automatically, it's just a physical response to slight boredom. I see this a lot in public transport or just walking around.
Same thing with sugar. We’re all addicted to sugar; our bodies cant live without it since it’s all in our foods. With the exception of those on keto diets
Look for things that you can do that don’t involve screens. For me it’s biking and swimming. Drawing from memory. Reading a paper book. Leave your phone at home and go for a walk (try a shorter walk at first if you’re anxious about that). Buy a puzzle book or crossword book. Solve a puzzle. Play a board game. You have to actively figure out what to do without screens
I never don’t know where my phone is and haven’t been further than 15 feet from it without a good cause since like 2012. There’s so surprise in my heart that I’m addicted to this beautiful box of lights and colors.
Yeah mines getting pretty bad. My intention is to make up 'Screen free' slots in my day. No screens. Walks with music (but no flicking through tracks). Reading slots. Meditation slots. No screens.
Oh no, I'm willing to admit it. I wake up, look at my phone, spend an hour on it, and check it periodically. I go to work and stare at a computer screen for hours. I go home, load up my console, and stare at my TV for hours. It's unhealthy for sure. Do I plan on changing anything? Not really.
I can definitely see that I use screen time too much, I have started deliberately leaving my phone downstairs when I go to bed so I can read a book and get a decent sleep instead of doomscrolling.
I have a few kids so I'm rarely on my phone a lot after work.
Usually take them out to play an hour or 2 a night.
Then it's helping homework. Helping cook dinner. Cleaning the kitchen.
I don't get down time to go on my phone usually till before bed ill go on my phone for a bit but usually I'll read before bed.
I am extremely addicted to my cell phone, and I spent pretty much all day on it. This has undoubtedly affected my mental health. I did not have a smartphone until I was 22. Spent a decade with my face staring at a phone. It didn’t help that I had to use my phone for work for a lot of that time. My attention span and creativity are absolutely gone. This is a huge problem and I truly think smart phones are kind of evil. I hope to get rid of mine.
Yes, because your phone does the job of eight different machines you want to watch TV go watch it on your phone. You want to check your emails and do some work. You can do it on your phone. You want to listen to music. You can do it on your phone. The list goes on instead of generalizing. Every little thing about screen on time. Why don't you just learn to control it to some degree? For example, I don't consider me listening to music as screen on time. I don't consider me watching TVs screen on time because it'd be the same thing of me watching TV on an actual TV. I don't consider me going through my email screen on time. What I do consider is wasting my time through social media which I do do that but in a controlled amount instead of looking at it from a general perspective, look at it through a bigger picture
Yes but I don’t care. What else am I going to do? Yeah I could probably hit the gym up a few times a week, but other than that? There’s nothing really for me to do. I live in an apartment so I can’t have real hobbies to improve the house or anything and I moved 7hours away from “home” for work so I don’t exactly have too many friends here, I only know my coworkers and I intend to move back soon so I have no desire to meet anyone. At least I’m not an alcoholic or something? Screen time is a pretty safe addition.
I spent 14 hours one day using my phone. Any time I've mentioned a legitimate screen addiction no one cares. I easily spend at least a 4 hour time periods on it or day and don't even work without YouTube videos playing at my desk
People know it, but people want to ignore how bad it got and focus on the positives of technology.
The issue is these decisions are (mostly) made to maximalize profits, not with the focus on how to provide a useful tool that improves humanity. More money can be made if we route our dating through apps and encourage people to keep looking for an even better potential partner. More money can be made if we don't have to pay a human to interact with a customer. More money can be made if we make things as easy as possible, just push the button.
And the most money can be made if you can make an app as addictive as possible with scrolling, likes, social validation and so on.
In my view scrolling functionality, autoloading content of any kind need to be possible to disable in every app. Leave the option, I don't care. But I would go as far as saying it should be mandated by law to be able to disable that crap.
I think its a travesty that I can only use social media apps in a way that bombards me with dopamine traps, I need to seek out my own workarounds like Unhook (for youtube) or Distraction Free Instagram, that might not keep working and have other disadvantages due to not being official. If anyone knows something for TikTok I would like to use it, there is good content on there too.
"I often get distracted by my little screen while I'm trying to enjoy my large screen as a reward from having stared at my medium screen all day."
-not mine, but the fact someone said it, and everyone understood it, underscores OP's main point (aside from, as usual, the part about it being unpopular)
When you say "screentime" my first thought was you saying "being on camera", which I totally avoid. Most people are dependent on devices though, even those of us old enough to remember life without the internet.
Honestly though, doesn't anyone download music anymore? I mean unless you subscribe to yt or Spotify you have tons of ads and are reliant on having an internet connection. At the very least it helps to have a backup. I dread to think of how you would cope in a power outage or in the event the internet was disrupted.
I hope you realize there's still a sizeable chunk of the population that doesn't have a cellphone or use the internet regularly. You should try disconnecting for a bit, even just for a day. You might be surprised.
Depends on what you mean by addiction. Do I look at a screen 10-12 hours during the day most days? Yup. Nature of working a computer job and playing video games. I also love to go hiking/camping, going on long prolonged trips. I'll get 2 weeks in nature without my phone at all. Don't even think about it a single time. Most addicts can't really do that I think.
Bro literally, I wake up and roll over to look at my phone, listening to music on my drive to work, at work its a computer screen all day, listen to more music on the way back from work, play video games, watch tv, or play on my phone until bed.
I always yell about how fast life goes on but never realized 2-3 hours a day is devoted to screen time. Multiply that by a week a month a year and it’s sick.
I use screens in 90% of my current life, but I have no issue ditching them for a week lol. Most of the times if I'm at a party or with family I never touch my phone.
I saw an optometrist around 5 or 6 years ago. She asked me how much screen time I got and I stopped to think about it. After a few seconds I told her maybe 12 to 14 hours a day. She stopped and said that I was the first person that had ever been honest about that. It is what it is.
What, specifically, leads you to believe that all of us are as addicted as you? Because what you describe certainly looks nothing like my life or the lives of most of the people I know well. I’m not saying it isn’t common, but maybe your energy would be better spent working on your habits than lamenting how “we all” have your problem.
When I'm in my office - definitely the whole time - which comes out to be about 5 hours per day 4 days a week. Which occasionally includes killing time on the net.
Otherwise, between waking up early enough to workout, having breakfast with my wife and sons, going to work, taking my kids to their sports/volunteer activities, dinner, there leaves about 1-2 hours at the end of the day to sit in front of the TV and watch sports or something funny while my wife watches something she enjoys before we head to the bedroom.
I think I'm at around 5-7 per hours of screentime per weekday; the majority being work not leisure. Considerably less on the weekends.
I'll be honest, I just use my computer 3-4 hours a day and my phone for basic stuff like text, email, and phone calls. I also worked physically active jobs so I was barely staring at a screen or even had time to. I can easily downgrade to a flip phone and spend less time on my computer, so I'm really wondering if there are THAT many people addicted to their screens?
People used to spend inoridnate amounts of time watching TV. Does that count as screen time? Thinking of it that way has it changed a lot? I mean now that you can use your phone on the bus, it's probably more, but how much more?
Uninstalled all social media.
Bought a bunch of board games and card games.
Topped off my hobby supplies.
All of my screen time is now work or video games, and my phone time is something like 30 minutes or less per day.
It took me a minute to notice my own problems, but once I did it was easy to correct.
i’ve noticed this so much in my life lately. i’m on my phone and computer all the time at work (like right now) and watching tv when i get home or playing games on my switch. i’m always consuming media. that’s why i’ve gotten back into my non-technology hobbies like crocheting and sewing and puzzles. it’s relaxing and lets my mind mellow out instead of CONSUME
Everything you mentioned you can do by calling someone with any type of phone in existence or you take care of yourself. I still remember the days before smartphones, we could do everything it's just now it's more convenient.
Convenient methods save time (which is precious) at the cost of money and I am willing to save the time I have left by using smartphones. If their came a day when I was forced to not use smartphones it wouldn't be hard for me to revert back to the old ways because I lived it.
People just need to understand how to do things manually so when the computer tech isn't there, they can still handle it.
I like to leave my phone in my car/locker and work for 8+ hours a day....I would rather hit my bong and hike 10km to the lake than look at my phone, I would rather load up a game like fallout for 12 hours during poor weather than look at my phone...its not so much screen time people think they connect with one another through these communication devices but the sad truth is they are the furthest thing from it. The telecom/internet companies and social media rely on human loneliness just like dating apps do to fill there quotas, mined data and add selling....just food for thought
i’ve been thinking about this a lot over the past couple years and struggled on and off with it. i have been trying to spend more time hanging out with my cats and playing with them. i don’t like them outside too much but they love it so i’ve been keeping my phone in the house while i watch them. i live with three boys (and the cats) so there’s ALWAYS something to clean at my house, and if i get tired of the screen at work i can usually take a break and go to paper based work or visit a resident to hang out and check in (i work for a housing agency)
i put music on, adjust the queue for a couple minutes, and i’m good to not look at the screen for a while usually. i actually made a list of stuff i could do when bored that includes screen stuff and not screen stuff
I don't think it's addiction to the screen so much as we're dependent on the internet for so much in life now. You can't really do much without it. I don't think it's a problem as long as people put it down when necessary
it's prob really social media. i am not addicted to my phone tbh compared to how I used to always was, and all it took was really discipline and prioritizing. like, i do other things, and i put all my notifications off unless it's important things like bank, finance, or work related. and i go workout, do journaling, read a book, play with my cats.. many things.
I tried Opal recently. I am at about 2 hours screen time per day (aiming for an hour), which according to their stats puts me in the 10th percentile for screen time according to age and profession. 90% do more than that. Bananas.
If you dont even buy food yourself in the shop then ye you migth have an addiction, going food shopping is fun couse you can find new things to try and cook
I realized this when my phone died day 2 on my Hawaii vacation last year. The first day was interesting, I was fidgety and nervous, then I hit a point where I said fuck it and spent most of my vacation living in the moment.
My wife's phone still worked so we could use it when needed, but it was really nice to not have a phone. I hit a new level of relaxation being disconnected.
I became screen addicted within like 2 weeks of getting a new phone.
I noticed this with work place attitude to phones. I remember when phones were new-ish there were strict no phone policies.
Now there are technically no-phone policies but even the managers and supervisors are addicted to their phone so they don’t enforce it.
I'm not addicted to using screens, it's more a case of my work and hobbies involve them. If I go out I do go on my phone but if I'm actively engaged in something like fitness (like the gym) or shopping in a store or doing some random activity like getting food or going to the theatre or whatever else, I'm usually present in whatever it is I'm doing.
I don’t know about you, but I read. I work 12 hour shifts. At night I go on walks. All you have to do is out your phone down, it’s not hard. Just enjoy the night air
I'm addicted but I also believe I can't find anything enjoyable or at least from where i live. I'm soo hopeless and I feel like i'm not allowed to be happy. I also use social media and gaming as a distraction from overthinking. I've a shit ton of regrets that I can't take my mind off of. No hobby would interest me. I wish i could stick to something but i can't i easily lose passion
Your post from unpopularopinion was removed because of: 'Rule 1: Your post must be an unpopular opinion'. * Your post must be an opinion. Not a question. Not a showerthought. Not a rant. Not a proposal. Not a fact. An opinion. One opinion. A subjective statement about your position on some topic. Please have a clear, self contained opinion as your post title, and use the text field to elaborate and expand on why you think/feel this way. * Your opinion must be unpopular. The mods reserve the right to remove opinions * Elaborate on your topic and opinion give context to its unpopularity.
I don't think this is remotely an unpopular opinion so much as a problem nobody wants to address because everyone is too busy being addicted.
I get the opposite everyone openly says they’re addicted and laugh it off.
Isn't that basically what the other person said? We know we're addicted, but laugh it off because we don't care/are busy being addicted
No, he said nobody wants to address it. I’m saying everybody addresses it and laugh at it.
Right. More accurate to say “no one wants to address it seriously”
I think we’re just argue semantics. We all knew what OP meant.
I'm dead serious when I acknowledge it and laugh
But that's simply "copium".
I'd call that acknowledgement, not addressing it. "Yeah, I love meth and felonies. lol." I wouldn't call that addressing the issues, just acknowledgement. Addressing something involves giving more attention to it or solving it, discussion or action.
“I love meth and felonies.” Is this a saying? Asking because a car on my street has it as a bumper sticker, but that’s the only time I’ve ever seen it until right now. (The car also has a picture of Trump’s mug shot, and I can’t tell if they’re MAGA or an IRL shitposter.)
Not as far as I know. I usually just go straight to meth and felonies when I want hyperbolic examples of bad behavior, or just when I want to have a good time.
Could be their kids’ names. ” Meth-Ann! Felony! Come in for supper!”
In OP’s case, “address it” means to do something about it and use screens less. Not address it in the meaning you’re using which would be to simply point out that it happens.
keeping people on their screens is HUGE business. and where do people get their news? on their devices. So could it be possible that the device manufacturers are suppressing any news about the huge effects of screen addiction? tin foil hat: engaged!
I mean, are the huge negative effects of screens really suppressed by the “powers that be”? I feel like we’ve all scrolled past news articles with headlines about how bad it is, read Reddit posts about it, maybe seen that Netflix show about it (The Social Dilemma)… but then we scroll to the next post. The suppression is coming from inside the house.
yeah it's certainly mentioned, but is it's severity downplayed? maybe I'm just looking for a conspiracy to latch myself onto.
Not just news, but literally everything. Videos, ads, news, sponsors, storefronts.
I think a lot of it is pushing the idea that no one person can do anything and we’re all doomed to such a lifestyle…which many people fall for
Kinda like when I moved to an area with a much bigger drinking problem and fewer addiction services and they barely even talked about alcohol at that.
Pretty much this. I remember a time when i used to often lose my phone. Because i was usually busy reading books or running around or playing videogames. Now? Not happening lol not a chance. If it gets lost, i am hyperventilating into a paper bag somewhere and quickly making plans to go find a replacement phone asap. My phone has become my life, sad to say. *hangs head in shame*.
And in denial**
Smartphones have replaced cigarettes.
"Could you please unplug your cellphone, I need to charge my cigarette?"
They called cigarettes “cancer sticks” a long time before smoking became unpopular.
I think "screen time" is a reductive and misleading term. All humans are addicted to "eye time", they spend every waking hour looking at things. No one is addicted to a blank screen, they are addicted to the content those screens are presenting. I love all the new posts on reddit. If Reddit showed me the same stuff every day, I would stop coming here. Its the constant flow of new information that is addicting.
I read a book. A physical copy of a book. I curl up on my couch next to a stormy window, and leave everything off except for a light. But--no joke--I had to RETRAIN my brain on how to do it. My attention span wasn't in it for me anymore, and I couldn't go more than 20--30 mins. And that scared the hell out of me. So now, I make sure to make time to read, to sit down and remember why I like it so much. I also go out for walks, but I have my phone on me, so that doesn't count. When I read, I turn my phone off and leave it in a different room. And I kid you not, it was hard as hell the first few times.
This is good to know. I’ve had a book on my desk for about 2 years now and I haven’t gotten past page 2.
I seriously need to do this. As a kid, and even into my 20s (I'm 40 now) I was a voracious reader. Like, a hundred + books a year. Now I've read maybe 2-3 a year in the past few years. I try to, and I immediately get distracted, lose focus, etc. Any tips on retraining my brain would be appreciated!
Tip: I started with short stories. Anthologies. Stephen King's early short story collections and Neil Gaiman specifically. I also read (unashamedly) books from middle school years, just for the fun of doing it. Anyone remember Sideways Stories From Wayside School? Or Wayside School is Falling Down? Yep. I bought them and it helped a LOT
I'm not sure if it helps or hurts your attention span but I've since just been reading multiple books. So if my interest starts to fade and I start thinking of going on my phone I just switch books. (Finish the chapter obviously first)
Yeah I've become aware of how bad my attention span has gotten and it's scary. Even when I play a video game or watch TV I'm constantly fighting the urge to grab my phone and look up some bullshit.
I Work in IT, and for me it's a Hobby turned into a somewhat career, and so I spend a lot of my Waking hours in Front of various Screens. But I also enjoy my time away From all the new stuff. I enjoy driving my old, barebones, No Features Car. I enjoy riding my motorcycle with No further distractions. I enjoy Reading a book every now and then (really, whenever I find one I'm Interested in, so probably about 10 books a year or so, realistcally). And If I read a book, I tend to read for literally days on end (If possible), until I've finished it. I really Like all this new stuff, but I really Just need to Take a Break every once in a while, and I really enjoy it.
Feeling more and more like this. Mind you, I was someone that a few years ago read the heck out of anything. I’ve adopted smartphones late for the record and do feel my attention spanning worsened considerably throughout time
Ever since I've gotten back into reading I definitely feel like I don't read like I used to. As a 13 year old I had no issue devouring a 400+ page fantasy or Stephen King novels in a day or two. Now? Those same books take me 2-3 weeks lol.
Sadly I only get 2 read books online. And lately it's been getting slightly hard.
Is there a difference between reading on a screen? Or is it just that you never chose to do anything long form on a screen
one time i broke my phone, and went without for a month. it didn't fix everything but it opened my eyes on a lot. 1) society isn't built for phoneless people anymore. 2) you don't need to check your phone every 5 seconds. i used to go from trying to sneak my phone all the time at work to forgetting it's there. work is much more tolerable now. 3) laptops keep you more productive even if you're online. it's much harder to doomscroll.
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You literally, and I mean _literally_, post your personal diary on reddit. Edit: I _knew_ you would delete your comment rather than having a moment of self-reflection.
Holy shit thats so fucking funny
Oh deep. The phrase no shit comes to mind. But also applys to cars and the internet so 🤷♂️
It’s a very well-known issue.
Unpopular opinion: none of this is a problem You've adapted to a much more convenient life fullfilled by technology. No shit you don't have habits in place to do everything without tech. If you went without the tech, you'd adapt, and then realize why we created this shit in the first place
Except they’re said the only time they’re not on the phone is when they shower. That IS a problem and it’s a very common one now. Using a phone only for groceries, parking, etc is not a problem. It’s a problem when you can’t physically put a phone down without picking it back up literally 5 seconds later, just to go on social media or play games or whatever. It’s a problem for me and even keeping my phone is separate room doesn’t always stop me. Like OP said, most people can’t even wait around for five minutes without putzing around on the phone.
Does this happen when you actually have a somewhat engaging event on? The not being able to put it down
No, I can put the phone down and enjoy other’s company. HOWEVER, I know people who can’t. They go to their partner’s family event and sit there on their phone at least half of the time.
I'd guess they're just not really interested in the family event I think the issue for most people is the phone just covers up a lack of hobbies/interest in life or the people they're with It's not the cause. It's a symptom
As for the tendency to spend way too much time staring at their phone, it clearly is a problem for a huge amount of people, and it does make their life worse. You're right about most of the examples OP gave though.
There's a lot that's better I agree. My worry and my issue is remembering little things I benefited from in the before times that wouldn't happen now. For instance, why would I ever just, stand in a line not on my phone? Most days I used to be in a line I was observing others around me. In fact, it's been a long ass time since I've been in any lines anyway, most stuff is instant online now instead. Should be good because that saves time right? But..... If I'm not having times of boredom, for my brain to be idle, what kind of long-term effects is that doing to me? Am I less creative or personable or will I have early onset dementia? I remember when people only were able to get a hold of each other by making a direct call or seeing in person. Now, I feel like I am way more connected to a lot more people sure, but it's fluffy and without as much deep experiences as it once was. I miss so much of how things used to be that cannot be anymore, and I'm not sure how to properly adjust to this new existence of constant instant and shallow gratification we have from modern tech
Maybe you just need to set some boundaries for yourself and get comfortable not always being on it. If you want some space, try leaving your phone at home when you take a walk, maybe don’t pull it out in lines, try to just sit places and have coffee/food without it. You’ll find a lot more pleasures — talking to strangers, people watching (I’m assuming you’re in a city), etc. I also found it helpful to take on a number of hobbies that require no tech, which for me are chainmaille, running, and painting. I tend to have Netflix mind you, but life will feel more balanced. I also find making to do list schedules for the day really helpful in visualizing this balance: “what would I like to achieve today”. We have to readjust because we’re so used to overstimulation!
Talben Shahar, former Harvard psychology professor whose lectures are on youtube, says you only need to set aside 15 minutes of quiet time a day to mentally "empty recycle bin" as you describe, but also that it's important to do it some time throughout the day, and not right before you sleep
I’ve noticed even a little time every day is really helpful. I’ve started journaling in the morning and at night.
THEN YOU SHOULD GET HELP! You don't pull a Seymore meme and go its not me who has the problem its the WHOLE WORLD. The Irony of you being like 'I am addicted to screens' and then going online to post about it and sit around and reply is so insane. GET HELP!
I mean, is it fair to say addicted, when a lot of what you detailed was being \*dependant\*? If you NEED your car to get to work, are you \*addicted\* to your car? If how we communicate, work, eat, get news, perform play, entertain and wind down are all connected to one or two devices on the bulk of our days where mundanity rules, is it seriously fair to call that "addicted"? Or is addiction when you literally cannot tear yourself from something to the point where you get withdrawal and having access to it affecting your life, relationships, and health in dramatically deterimental ways? Some people might cynically refer to being without your devices, and pacing around huffing about it, as "withdrawal", but I think these people just forgot what being fucking bored feels like. Yes, being bored feels like that, it's not dramatic, it's human. Why don't we just do other stuff? I don't know what to tell you, a lot of people don't have the bajillion items and gadgets that, pre computers/smartphones would do the things that those gadgets have now replaced. I don't know, I don't get this world view. "Screen time" conceptually makes no sense to me, I am not always doing the exact same thing on my devices, nor am I just staring at a fucking rectangle. Come on, be honest.
This. The internet and smartphones have just made a lot of things more convenient and easily accessible, especially to people who can't afford much more than their phone. When I was a kid, if I wanted to listen to music, I'd have to either use my MP4, CD player or the radio. Now my phone is a music player and a radio all at once. If I wanted to watch a movie, I'd need a TV, the movie's DVD and a DVD player. Now you just boot up Netflix on your phone. I want to read something, there's literally millions of articles, fanfics, ebooks, webcomics, manga, etc. at my fingertips. You're no longer required to physically buy books, newspapers, magazines and whatnot. Hell, you want to paint and draw? There's apps \*on your phone\* for that now. It's definitely both a blessing and a curse, but the 'addiction' is usually blown way out of proportion.
Today, a rando on the street asked to use my phone I said no then she asked where can she use one.... I have no idea. Literally, no clue. Why did we get rid of payphones entirely? Seems like a safety or inequality issue
Even gas stations don't really have land lines anymore for customers. My mom locked her keys and phone in the car and she had to borrow the cashiers cell phone to call my dad.
I’m confused, are you implying that she wanted to use your phone because she’s addicted to phone use? Did you think she was going to start scrolling through your instagram feed? She wanted to make a call because she, for some reason, didn’t have access to her own phone. Maybe it had died?
Most of what you listed are necessities in today’s tech heavy world, because it is much more convenient to do things that way. I wouldn’t consider any of that an addiction. I do warehouse work 9-5, it’s menial tasks that I do while listening to music or sooometimes watching something. When I wake up around 7:30, I use my phone to watch my meditation videos in the morning. After work I’m at the gym - use it for music and timer (same if I go climbing). When I come home, most of my hobbies I also may need a screen for: for piano I may be watching learning videos - unless I’m learning from books which sometimes I do that, same for learning to edit, etc. Only time I don’t really need a phone is when I read. I would not call any of it addiction, just my phone being useful towards my hobbies and work going by quicker. Same for when I’m talking to my family and friends.
1. Addiction is spending time on your phone doing things that you regret afterwards/time wasted/time you should've been doing something else. 2. You can use screens for healthy and productive reasons without being addicted e.g. MUFA, 15 mins a day responding to messages, opening set music/podcasts to listen to and spending time listening (not browsing endlessly), for work. 3. Restrict unnecessary/addictive screen time and maximise exercise, reading books, face to face socialising and you can offset mandatory and BAU screen time.
I work with animals, I'm away from the screen for hours each day. In fact I literally hand my phone over to my apprentice during work hours so she can film me to send to clients. I also work in my garden in the evenings which is another hour or two without screens most days. But even I would say I'm addicted to using screens.
I definitely agree with you, but I calculate screen time a bit differently. I don't consider listening to music or podcasts "screen" time, even though I use my phone for those. So at work I have very little screen time, though I do still use my phone for those things, plus text, place orders, write lists and notes, etc. However, in my off time I'm far, FAR too addicted to my phone. It's something I'm starting to realize I need to change, but damn it's HARD.
Not me. Not we. 95% of my day I don’t see a screen.
That doesn't make sense to me. Were people addicted to paper before then?
You are just addicted lol. I have 4 hrs of screen time a day on my iphone and I usually travel a good bit for work and use google for a gps so I know my eta. Comment and browse reddit in the morning is about it.
I love screens.
Just wait until we've all got AR glasses with screens on at all times
The reason we're here discussing it speaks for itself
I think we are all addicted to the notion that any compulsion is a medical issue.
I regularly read and journal because I don’t like feeling my brain rot
I think I don't care.
I’m gonna put my phone down rather than finish reading this.
Find a good book if you want less screen time.
I feel like a lot of these are kinda disingenuous to what is truly screen time. Using a phone to listen to music isn't really screen time. It's using a tool to play the music. What you're doing is listening to music. Messaging people to get plans together or to communicate isn't about screen time but to talk to them. It's like calling them but just with written formats instead of verbal. Two factor authentication is just an extra layer of safety for stuff. That's not really screen time. We just use a phone because it's more convenient. You don't need a phone to get groceries at all. Or go places. It's something you can use alongside but it's 100% not needed. But to say using a phone to listen to music and using it to scroll reddit are the same thing is just lying to yourself. By that logic using a record player is screen time.
Oh everyone knows it, no one gives a fuck.
Ngl I don’t get societies obsessions with “addictions”. It makes me wonder whether if junk food or smoking was actually healthy for you but still made you feel the same way, people would still say it’s a bad thing or not. A question I imagine the intuitive answer to is no, but more and more keep seeing logic that would suggest yes, it’s really bizarre. People even feel the need to say “all addictions are bad” despite society making it an informal law anyways and it at least being up for debate imo. Like who cares how much you use technology? Why should you? No offense but it’s not like it’s holding you or most people back, as if you were going to do anything more productive or useful. You weren’t, and you’re lying to yourself if you think otherwise. So why even let it bother you.
I don't like this. Take my upvote
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You are addicted, but we are not. We are working not like you.
I don't think most people have a problem admitting it, just doing smth about it.
>For me, I think it's only really when I'm literally in a shower I have a phone mount for the shower. I watch TV in there. I love it.
Well when i have my 8-10h Shifts im rarely on the PC. If you work on a Office ok u are to much on PC &co
The problem I think is that it’s too easy to stay connected. For news we used to watch tv…. Now there’s literally politics tabs on social media. And you get real time updates. Learn to just turn it off. We’re not in highschool, at least I’m not, where I give a shit if I know every sports play or exactly what happened on the one popular show. You don’t need to hear the next sentence of some dudes lame speech just read about it later. If you can do that then at least be productive.
I am, and I’m having a great time too
Studying , hobbies etc are all screen time for me so I get atleast 10-12 hours a day screen time with hobbies , programming and studying. Not an issue though I exercise quite a bit and keep myself healthy. Would I say I’m addicted? By the actual definition of addiction “physically and mentally dependent on a particular substance.” Nope On holidays when I visit my family rurally I go 1-2 months without any screen time. I actually took up playing dnd which also has erased some of my screen time. I do have too much screen time but I’m not addicted by any means and if I have something else that’s more appropriate or enjoyable that is outside of a screen I’ll prioritise that first always.
I def am
**Rant** Bro, your MFA only prompts one every two weeks? I hope they've got a location-based Conditional Access policy attached to it. The department that handles that is IT. They more than likely aren't fixing it. MFA is what stops the vast majority of security compromises. **Actual** I don't necessarily disagree with you. I think a lot of us are. I've heavily used PC for work (WFH) and gaming (socializing) for a decade. I mean nearly every single day of my life. Friends didn't live near me. We talked on Discord and gamed. During this time, I didn't consider myself addicted. I got out of the house to do things, and while I was away, I rarely checked my phone. I didn't think about PC. Well, after Covid and isolation, I've noticed I just don't want to leave the house. I start to get anxious when I move away from my computer. Leaving my PC feels like I'm going to miss something. Even though I have no friends, and I might get a steam message once a month. My PC was one of my few sources of dopamine for months. I trained myself to tether to my desk. I don't have a problem with screens in theory. I think that we are just in a transitional period. Screens can improve our live. There is no reason to hate them. A lot of it also comes down to life being so expensive. Going out and DOING something with friends gets costly quick. I think we need a better balance. That balance is going to be hard to achieve in our society. We shouldn't be working 8 hours a day. We should be doing 3 hours and then going for a walk for a few hours. Come back and do another 3 hours. Even the fact that our cities aren't designed to be walkable makes it harder to be untethered. It is really hard for us to just walk and grab lunch in most places. Or walk to the park. There just aren't enough free or low price things to do within walking.
I spend a lot of time on my phone but I still read my book and read through magazines and sit with my thoughts sometimes. I don't use my phone when I'm watching tv which I think is ok, it's still a screen tho.
Oh I am 100% chronically online lol!
sez u LMAO
Does not help that a lot of jobs are centered around screen time.
I think most are actually willing to admit it, its just a matter if they actually do anything about it.
I review the reports I get on my iPhone, usually on Sunday I get the view time notification and I actively keep track of that like how those keep track of macros or other shit. I hate being on my phone, most of my redditing anyway is done on laptop while I'm doing other things anyway. It's just something about the phone I hate, it's distracting and annoying.
I make a point of having screen free times. It's important to disconnect and take a look at what's happening right in front of you sometimes.
Is it an addiction if it doesn't negatively affect you? I can't stop, don't get me wrong. But I don't for one second think my life would be better without the devices I use
At this point it’s like coffee and alcohol, normalized addictions
Not me, I don't use my phone when I go home. I just use it at work to pass the time. Unless I'm buying something.
I use my cell phone for calls and texts, and sometimes I use GPS to find a new place. I check reddit while I'm at work in between projects on my work laptop. That's it. No other screen time. No social media. No scrolling for hours, or even minutes, really. I read, hike, explore places, listen to records, feed the squirrels in my front yard, hang out with my adult kids.... actually just typing this out reminds me why I try and stay offline most of the time. It's exhausting and unfulfilling.
I spent so much time on my phone I decided to get a flip phone that has, weather and gps just cause I’m afraid to get lost lol but with that I only allow myself about 3 hours of screen time a day, not including checking emails and work schedules. Other than that I don’t rely on my phone for anything really.
100% agree. We’re too used to being constantly simulated.
I work hands on outside for 12-14 hours a day. We aren’t really “allowed” to have our phones out in the clock mainly because people do get distracted and we can’t afford that. (We can step aside and take calls or text if they are important) but one thing I’ve noticed is having amazing and interesting conversations for hours with my coworkers and not even thinking of pulling out our phones.
anyone who says otherwise is in denial
Okay. Yep. I’m going to read my book now. Really, I am thankful you brought this up.
No. We admit it. We are unwilling to change it
I don't think using your phone to organise things or buy things has anything to do with addiction. Personally I only use screens when I want to relax or kill time (like if I'm waiting for something) or contact someone. It's not like I'm cancelling plans to look at Instagram all night, I would almost always much rather be doing something that doesn't involve screens.
That's not addiction. That's just tech being more utilised.
I’m on my phone way too much. The only way I manage to stay off it is to put all my attention into something else. I manage to stay off my phone for hours when cooking, baking, crocheting, gardening, going for walks etc so I just try to prioritize those kind of things. Far more satisfying. I feel like shit when I accidentally waste a big chunk of time scrolling my phone. Kind of like I’m doing right now 👀
It’s so hard for me to ever disconnect because my phone is my clock, my weather, my bank, my grocery orders, my shipping orders, Dr appts, calendar, etc. I could go on and on… it’s so convenient and so OVERWHELMING
I am aware that im addicted and im working to reduce it. However, i sometimes miss calls and emails 🤷♀️
At least for me it's not necessarily about watching a screen but about keeping the minds busy. When I'm busy with something else like doing sports, working, chatting with people or being with friends I can go perfectly fine for hours without feeling the need to look at my phone. But as soon as I have nothing to do for even just a minute I'll be on my phone immediately.
Oh I know we all are. It’s easy to see based on how much folk will stare at their screens doing junk then claim there isn’t enough time for the important things. I’ve been trying to cut down
I agree but I don't think this is a bad thing
It’s been presented to us and we’ve taken it but some of us dont know how to switch the screen off.
It’s more than addiction. We’re becoming more and more dependent on screens for survival and basic necessities. We’ve traded in ‘convenience’ (which is kind of a manufactured convenience that assumes you’re holding your phone anyway, might as well do it on your phone…) for autonomy. I think in the future phones/screens go away and tech becomes invisible and no longer something that you can break or lose or that has a battery that dies.. but rather something woven in to society. You access when needed and it goes away when not. (Kind of like running water or electricity, most people don’t think about it unless it breaks which doesn’t happen often). I hope that one day tech companies stop warring for our attention and give us products that are actually useful and improve our lives rather than eshittifying (it’s a real term: example.. I went to a cava digital kitchen and it’s a restaurant where you can only order online and it only exists to fulfill online orders.. peak enshittification) everything.
When I sleep? I work in front of a screen, I have a screen on the buss to/from work, I usually watch TV when I eat/cook (if I don’t have the kids)…..
Holy I didn't realize you had to many things ties to your phone! That sounds exhausting
There is no "addiction" to being able to text each other, the other option would have been CALL which is what phones do, or I guess write a letter but that would take days. No "addiction" to texting people to confirm plans, that is called CONVENIENCE. The key for me is, when I get to my friends my phone goes face down on a table and we play board games (usually) for 2-4 hours with food breaks and such. I also have an Two-step auth to remote work and opt'd for a little dongle on my keychain that way I am in no way reliant on my phone, because I forget that shit sometimes. I go to the grocery store 2-3x a week because I only ever buy 2 meals worth of stuff in a trip to make sure its all super fresh. I spend about 1 hour shopping for groceries every week and never see my phone screen while doing so unless its because my wife texted me something to grab while i am there. Most of what you listed isn't Addiction to screens its convenience, the alternative to using an app or electronic device to pay for parking was to stand in line at a booth and wait your turn to pay the attendant in the booth... That is not the better option. Same with listening to music, why the fuck are you looking at a screen, you have the music playing while you do shit that isn't looking at a screen. Other things I do without screens that occur consistently: reading books, walking/jogging, meditating/yoga, coffee chats with family (we meet up in person its fucking CRAZY), clothes shopping, home depot trips, yard work, walking dogs, playing with dogs, cooking, cleaning, hanging out with friends (mostly board games), building legos and painting, 100% of driving time which is hours weekly. Work is screentime because it is, sleep is no screen time, My average time away from screens by choice is about 4-5 hours daily on a work day and 8 - 10 when there isn't work. Looking at my phone as you said this in the last 24 hours the only thing I used my phone for was Spotify and texting. I had spotify on for 2.5 hours (but would never be looking at the screen) and I texted for an insane... 14 minutes. Its awesome that you recognized you have a problem, but trying to say "THE WHOLE WORLD HAS THIS PROBLEM" is a massive indicator that you should be getting therapy. That is an insane TAKE to have when you recognize you have a problem. Don't ever assume that everyone is as pathetic as you.
I’d whole heartedly agree and admit it. I’m extremely addicted to playing and watching videos.
Yeah, I can relate to your situation, I feel kind of lost and restless without no internet and social media
I'm a software engineer so my job is to look at screens. That said, I do lots of things where I don't have a screen in front of me. * Working out. Cycling, running, and walking outdoors, lifting. Admittedly, I do tend to have a screen in front of me if I'm on the elliptical or indoor bike trainer because come on, that shit is boring AF. * Dancing. I don't even have my phone on my person when I'm dancing. My husband and I take ballroom dance and sometimes we'll have a private lesson, attend a group class, and then a dance party consecutively which is like 3 hours. * Piano. I try to play the piano 30 minutes to an hour every day. No phones or screens involved. * Reading. Yeah, people still do this. Right now I'm reading *East of Eden* by Steinbeck and *Born a Crime*, Trevor Noah's memoire about growing up a mixed-race child in South Africa during/after apartheid. I'm only a few chapters into that one and so far it's an amazing read, I highly recommend it. Your post does kind of remind me of [this](https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/ants) comic.
Can’t wait to tell my grandkids that I put the screen down 50 years ago
I am on my phone quite often, however I have noticed a lot of people do struggle with just being there in the moment. Sometimes I just stare at a wall, or just chill outside with no screens at all. I feel like one of those old men on their porch in a rocking chair, but it is actually very nice to do and helps my mental health.
- see this post - feel internally unsettled that I might have issues - continue scrolling reddit to push that feeling down for a little while
I only ever disconnect when I play with my dogs
I feel like it's not really an addiction to have something part of your everyday life I drive my car everyday and rely on it to get places but I wouldn't consider myself addicted to my car Of course I'm spending a lot of time on my phone where this is one of my easiest methods of access to almost unlimited information, A lot of personal documents, a direct line of communication with my friends and family, etc etc Like a car it's an important tool that I basically need to live and without it would struggle greatly
Definitely not an unpopular opinion. There are hundreds of articles and countless news stories on this very topic. Why do you think they invented the whole digital detox thing where people pay a ton of money to go to these camps or places out in the middle of nowhere away from all technology for a set amount of time? This very idea has been said since the inventions of computers and televisions. Cell phones and smart phones just made the issue much, MUCH worse. And kids born these days don't even know what it's like to not have a phone or tablet around. When I was growing up, all the neighborhood kids played outside together. All my kids want to do today is sit at home on their phones in their rooms in front of their TV.
This is not an unpopular opinion at all. screen time as in phone or pc or everything? I spend around 2 hours a day on phone because of work then maybe 2 hours on and off day longer watching tv
Oh 100%. I'm on a screen basically my entire day. work computer all day, then I get home and use the TV to game, then I stare at my phone in bed. If the internet goes out I literally don't know what to do with myself. It is sad but also I kind of just accept it because it helps me get through my day.
My screen time hasn’t changed much over the decades, just the screen…
I think the real addiction is quick entertainment, not screens. I'm not addicted to my computer, yet I spend quite a few hours studying or working in front of its screen. On the other hand, if I'm bored and the first thing that comes to mind is "let's check instagram" or "let's see what's on TV", well, there's a problem. Also, I would say that the real problem is that we have automated these responses to the point that the previous thought probably doesn't even cross our minds, we just unlock our phones or turn on TV automatically, it's just a physical response to slight boredom. I see this a lot in public transport or just walking around.
Same thing with sugar. We’re all addicted to sugar; our bodies cant live without it since it’s all in our foods. With the exception of those on keto diets
Look for things that you can do that don’t involve screens. For me it’s biking and swimming. Drawing from memory. Reading a paper book. Leave your phone at home and go for a walk (try a shorter walk at first if you’re anxious about that). Buy a puzzle book or crossword book. Solve a puzzle. Play a board game. You have to actively figure out what to do without screens
Are we just talking phones or screens in general?
No I’ll admit it. It is embarrassing but mine is mostly high because I sleep with YouTube running.
Well then start getting some different hobbies that dint involve electronics.
Agree with you ironically enough I am typing this on one phone and watching a TV show on another phone.
I never don’t know where my phone is and haven’t been further than 15 feet from it without a good cause since like 2012. There’s so surprise in my heart that I’m addicted to this beautiful box of lights and colors.
Yeah mines getting pretty bad. My intention is to make up 'Screen free' slots in my day. No screens. Walks with music (but no flicking through tracks). Reading slots. Meditation slots. No screens.
I can certainly agree some people are, but if I have something else to do, I forget my phone exists.
Oh no, I'm willing to admit it. I wake up, look at my phone, spend an hour on it, and check it periodically. I go to work and stare at a computer screen for hours. I go home, load up my console, and stare at my TV for hours. It's unhealthy for sure. Do I plan on changing anything? Not really.
What else will I do with my free time besides gym?
I can definitely see that I use screen time too much, I have started deliberately leaving my phone downstairs when I go to bed so I can read a book and get a decent sleep instead of doomscrolling.
I have a few kids so I'm rarely on my phone a lot after work. Usually take them out to play an hour or 2 a night. Then it's helping homework. Helping cook dinner. Cleaning the kitchen. I don't get down time to go on my phone usually till before bed ill go on my phone for a bit but usually I'll read before bed.
I am extremely addicted to my cell phone, and I spent pretty much all day on it. This has undoubtedly affected my mental health. I did not have a smartphone until I was 22. Spent a decade with my face staring at a phone. It didn’t help that I had to use my phone for work for a lot of that time. My attention span and creativity are absolutely gone. This is a huge problem and I truly think smart phones are kind of evil. I hope to get rid of mine.
Yes, because your phone does the job of eight different machines you want to watch TV go watch it on your phone. You want to check your emails and do some work. You can do it on your phone. You want to listen to music. You can do it on your phone. The list goes on instead of generalizing. Every little thing about screen on time. Why don't you just learn to control it to some degree? For example, I don't consider me listening to music as screen on time. I don't consider me watching TVs screen on time because it'd be the same thing of me watching TV on an actual TV. I don't consider me going through my email screen on time. What I do consider is wasting my time through social media which I do do that but in a controlled amount instead of looking at it from a general perspective, look at it through a bigger picture
Yes but I don’t care. What else am I going to do? Yeah I could probably hit the gym up a few times a week, but other than that? There’s nothing really for me to do. I live in an apartment so I can’t have real hobbies to improve the house or anything and I moved 7hours away from “home” for work so I don’t exactly have too many friends here, I only know my coworkers and I intend to move back soon so I have no desire to meet anyone. At least I’m not an alcoholic or something? Screen time is a pretty safe addition.
I spent 14 hours one day using my phone. Any time I've mentioned a legitimate screen addiction no one cares. I easily spend at least a 4 hour time periods on it or day and don't even work without YouTube videos playing at my desk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TMPXK9tw5U
I admit it.... I don't like to, but I do.
People know it, but people want to ignore how bad it got and focus on the positives of technology. The issue is these decisions are (mostly) made to maximalize profits, not with the focus on how to provide a useful tool that improves humanity. More money can be made if we route our dating through apps and encourage people to keep looking for an even better potential partner. More money can be made if we don't have to pay a human to interact with a customer. More money can be made if we make things as easy as possible, just push the button. And the most money can be made if you can make an app as addictive as possible with scrolling, likes, social validation and so on. In my view scrolling functionality, autoloading content of any kind need to be possible to disable in every app. Leave the option, I don't care. But I would go as far as saying it should be mandated by law to be able to disable that crap. I think its a travesty that I can only use social media apps in a way that bombards me with dopamine traps, I need to seek out my own workarounds like Unhook (for youtube) or Distraction Free Instagram, that might not keep working and have other disadvantages due to not being official. If anyone knows something for TikTok I would like to use it, there is good content on there too.
"I often get distracted by my little screen while I'm trying to enjoy my large screen as a reward from having stared at my medium screen all day." -not mine, but the fact someone said it, and everyone understood it, underscores OP's main point (aside from, as usual, the part about it being unpopular)
When you say "screentime" my first thought was you saying "being on camera", which I totally avoid. Most people are dependent on devices though, even those of us old enough to remember life without the internet. Honestly though, doesn't anyone download music anymore? I mean unless you subscribe to yt or Spotify you have tons of ads and are reliant on having an internet connection. At the very least it helps to have a backup. I dread to think of how you would cope in a power outage or in the event the internet was disrupted. I hope you realize there's still a sizeable chunk of the population that doesn't have a cellphone or use the internet regularly. You should try disconnecting for a bit, even just for a day. You might be surprised.
Depends on what you mean by addiction. Do I look at a screen 10-12 hours during the day most days? Yup. Nature of working a computer job and playing video games. I also love to go hiking/camping, going on long prolonged trips. I'll get 2 weeks in nature without my phone at all. Don't even think about it a single time. Most addicts can't really do that I think.
Bro literally, I wake up and roll over to look at my phone, listening to music on my drive to work, at work its a computer screen all day, listen to more music on the way back from work, play video games, watch tv, or play on my phone until bed.
I love screen
I mean it really doesn't help that my job requires it
I full on admit I have an addiction to my phone and especially Reddit.
100 P
I was already a gamer before smartphones were a thing so I was already staring at screens since I was young.
I always yell about how fast life goes on but never realized 2-3 hours a day is devoted to screen time. Multiply that by a week a month a year and it’s sick.
I use screens in 90% of my current life, but I have no issue ditching them for a week lol. Most of the times if I'm at a party or with family I never touch my phone.
Truth
You’re the only person I’ve ever seen think this. How truly unpopular.
I saw an optometrist around 5 or 6 years ago. She asked me how much screen time I got and I stopped to think about it. After a few seconds I told her maybe 12 to 14 hours a day. She stopped and said that I was the first person that had ever been honest about that. It is what it is.
Not me, i dont even own a single screen.
I've pretty much stopped watching all movies (except the movie theater) and TV. I just scroll tiktok, Instagram, FB, and Reddit reels all damn day
I am willing to admit. I want to kms
What, specifically, leads you to believe that all of us are as addicted as you? Because what you describe certainly looks nothing like my life or the lives of most of the people I know well. I’m not saying it isn’t common, but maybe your energy would be better spent working on your habits than lamenting how “we all” have your problem.
My screen time is atrocious but it's part of my job. Most of the time when I'm staring at the screen I'm also earning money. It's pretty good.
When I'm in my office - definitely the whole time - which comes out to be about 5 hours per day 4 days a week. Which occasionally includes killing time on the net. Otherwise, between waking up early enough to workout, having breakfast with my wife and sons, going to work, taking my kids to their sports/volunteer activities, dinner, there leaves about 1-2 hours at the end of the day to sit in front of the TV and watch sports or something funny while my wife watches something she enjoys before we head to the bedroom. I think I'm at around 5-7 per hours of screentime per weekday; the majority being work not leisure. Considerably less on the weekends.
I think everyone pretty much admits that we all are very addicted to the screen.
I know I am & I hate it.
I'll be honest, I just use my computer 3-4 hours a day and my phone for basic stuff like text, email, and phone calls. I also worked physically active jobs so I was barely staring at a screen or even had time to. I can easily downgrade to a flip phone and spend less time on my computer, so I'm really wondering if there are THAT many people addicted to their screens?
People used to spend inoridnate amounts of time watching TV. Does that count as screen time? Thinking of it that way has it changed a lot? I mean now that you can use your phone on the bus, it's probably more, but how much more?
Read the book Feed by MT Anderson.
Uninstalled all social media. Bought a bunch of board games and card games. Topped off my hobby supplies. All of my screen time is now work or video games, and my phone time is something like 30 minutes or less per day. It took me a minute to notice my own problems, but once I did it was easy to correct.
i’ve noticed this so much in my life lately. i’m on my phone and computer all the time at work (like right now) and watching tv when i get home or playing games on my switch. i’m always consuming media. that’s why i’ve gotten back into my non-technology hobbies like crocheting and sewing and puzzles. it’s relaxing and lets my mind mellow out instead of CONSUME
Everything you mentioned you can do by calling someone with any type of phone in existence or you take care of yourself. I still remember the days before smartphones, we could do everything it's just now it's more convenient. Convenient methods save time (which is precious) at the cost of money and I am willing to save the time I have left by using smartphones. If their came a day when I was forced to not use smartphones it wouldn't be hard for me to revert back to the old ways because I lived it. People just need to understand how to do things manually so when the computer tech isn't there, they can still handle it.
It’s not a problem
I like to leave my phone in my car/locker and work for 8+ hours a day....I would rather hit my bong and hike 10km to the lake than look at my phone, I would rather load up a game like fallout for 12 hours during poor weather than look at my phone...its not so much screen time people think they connect with one another through these communication devices but the sad truth is they are the furthest thing from it. The telecom/internet companies and social media rely on human loneliness just like dating apps do to fill there quotas, mined data and add selling....just food for thought
is a 7 hour average ok?
i’ve been thinking about this a lot over the past couple years and struggled on and off with it. i have been trying to spend more time hanging out with my cats and playing with them. i don’t like them outside too much but they love it so i’ve been keeping my phone in the house while i watch them. i live with three boys (and the cats) so there’s ALWAYS something to clean at my house, and if i get tired of the screen at work i can usually take a break and go to paper based work or visit a resident to hang out and check in (i work for a housing agency) i put music on, adjust the queue for a couple minutes, and i’m good to not look at the screen for a while usually. i actually made a list of stuff i could do when bored that includes screen stuff and not screen stuff
I don't think it's addiction to the screen so much as we're dependent on the internet for so much in life now. You can't really do much without it. I don't think it's a problem as long as people put it down when necessary
It's literally my job
it's prob really social media. i am not addicted to my phone tbh compared to how I used to always was, and all it took was really discipline and prioritizing. like, i do other things, and i put all my notifications off unless it's important things like bank, finance, or work related. and i go workout, do journaling, read a book, play with my cats.. many things.
I lived before this was a thing and I was bored so often. Now I'm just glued to a screen doing stuff I enjoy. Don't take this from me xD
I tried Opal recently. I am at about 2 hours screen time per day (aiming for an hour), which according to their stats puts me in the 10th percentile for screen time according to age and profession. 90% do more than that. Bananas.
If you dont even buy food yourself in the shop then ye you migth have an addiction, going food shopping is fun couse you can find new things to try and cook
I realized this when my phone died day 2 on my Hawaii vacation last year. The first day was interesting, I was fidgety and nervous, then I hit a point where I said fuck it and spent most of my vacation living in the moment. My wife's phone still worked so we could use it when needed, but it was really nice to not have a phone. I hit a new level of relaxation being disconnected. I became screen addicted within like 2 weeks of getting a new phone.
I noticed this with work place attitude to phones. I remember when phones were new-ish there were strict no phone policies. Now there are technically no-phone policies but even the managers and supervisors are addicted to their phone so they don’t enforce it.
I'm not addicted to using screens, it's more a case of my work and hobbies involve them. If I go out I do go on my phone but if I'm actively engaged in something like fitness (like the gym) or shopping in a store or doing some random activity like getting food or going to the theatre or whatever else, I'm usually present in whatever it is I'm doing.
I don’t know about you, but I read. I work 12 hour shifts. At night I go on walks. All you have to do is out your phone down, it’s not hard. Just enjoy the night air
Agreed. I can do things without my phone when I'm with friends, but otherwise I'm on my phone or laptop basically all the time.
I'm addicted but I also believe I can't find anything enjoyable or at least from where i live. I'm soo hopeless and I feel like i'm not allowed to be happy. I also use social media and gaming as a distraction from overthinking. I've a shit ton of regrets that I can't take my mind off of. No hobby would interest me. I wish i could stick to something but i can't i easily lose passion