Reduce your screentime and save your sanity
Is social media compulsion making us sick?
Text: Christian Barker
Even before COVID came along — way back when our gadgets were merely productivity tools, or sources of info and entertainment — there was already plenty of talk about our overuse of TVs, laptops, tablets and smartphones. As lockdowns and social distancing have transformed these devices into our sole lifeline to the outside world, we’ve only become slaves to screentime.
Many of us now spend around 12 hours a day flitting from one screen to another (sometimes, using two or three at once). Of course, this can’t necessarily be chalked up as time wasted — at least, not all of it. Plenty of worthwhile stuff can be accomplished on devices.
Putting hours into researching the solution to a problem, learning a new skill or language, reading a good book, browsing a quality newspaper, getting your work done, playing great music, or communicating on FaceTime or Zoom with friends, family and loved-ones — screentime of this sort is well spent.
Meanwhile, overdosing on your social media in the shape of YouTube kitten videos or bingeing a whole Netflix series in a day, hypnotically scrolling though Instagram Stories, or playing Animal Crossing for more than a diversionary ten minutes… well, let’s just say those precious moments may be better allocated elsewhere.
But hey, we’re not judging. This writer is guilty on at least a couple of those counts, binge-streaming series especially. (So, when’s The Crown series 5 due?) My fellow Netflix junkies may have viewed docu-drama The Social Dilemma, which attempts to demonstrate how the social media giants have semi-accidentally, semi-intentionally encouraged a dopamine-driven addiction to their services. Kicking that dependency and reducing time on social media is probably one of the best screen habit changes you can make.
Sick of social media?
There is strong evidence to suggest that dialling back social media is beneficial. For instance, a 2018 University of Pennsylvania study found students who restricted their social media use to 30 minutes a day “showed significant reductions in loneliness and depression”. Limiting social media use to a half-hour a day “may lead to significant improvement in wellbeing,” the study concluded.
Research has also shown that people who spend a greater amount of time on screens are more prone to depression. However, experts ponder whether it’s perhaps more pertinent to say that people who are prone to depression are more likely to be withdrawn and screen-focused. (A similar chicken-and-egg conundrum clouds the link between depression and drug or alcohol abuse. Do we abuse substances because we’re depressed, or are we depressed because we abuse substances? Discuss.)
It’s not just mental health that’s affected, though. As screens are often viewed in a sedentary position, increased screen time can lead to obesity and serious health issues, including chronic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Conversely, exercise and other physical activities have the effect of improving not only overall bodily health but mood and feelings of wellbeing.
Making the cut
While it’s unrealistic, under the present circumstances, to cut gadget use back to the two hours per day that was commonly recommended in the glorious utopia of the pre-Covid era, it is vital that we find time away from the screen. Here are a few great ways to do so.
1. Make mealtimes device-free. This isn’t simply an ideal means of taking your eyes off a screen and concentrating on the pleasure of a meal (which has health benefits all its own). It’s also the perfect way to reconnect with our immediate families. If there’s one thing the covid crisis should have taught us not to take for granted, it’s quality face-to-face time (as opposed to FaceTime) with the people we love.
2. Have a break. Staring at screens all day can lead to vision issues and headaches. Make a point of regularly breaking off to look at something real (grab a water, pat your dog, hug your partner, clear your desk, have a power nap) and carve out a time each day to go outdoors and soak up your surroundings with your own two eyes — not the phone’s lens.
3. Set a cut-off point. Power down your devices at least an hour before bed. The blue light emitted by phones, tablets, laptops and TVs supresses production of melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate your sleep/wake cycle. If you fancy a good night in the sack, it’s best never to take gadgets (at least, ones with screens) into bed with you.
4. Practice mindful device use. Turn off all but the most vital notifications, most of which are just distractions. (That’s how the experts do it. A friend of mine knows Tim Cook, and says the Apple CEO’s iPhone never buzzes or makes a sound.) Be conscious of tracking how much time you’re spending on your phone and tablet, which tend to be the most convenient and addictive devices, then set realistic goals for gradually cutting down.
5. If it becomes clear that your screen compulsion is beyond control — you’re ignoring your family, for example, or neglecting your work, or you can’t focus on a favourite TV show without scrolling Insta every 10 minutes — acknowledge and address the issue. As with any addiction, the first step is admitting you have a problem. The second step, in this instance, may be deleting your social media apps.
