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Original poster

Digital wellbeing, screen time confession

22 replies

peartreebeartree · 23/05/2021 05:49

Daily average screen time: 4hr 28mins
Daily average unlocks: 26

Remember when we only had to worry about screentime from a TV?

Anyone else feel like they are battling with themselves to stop wasting their life? I am a mother and this is literally how long on average a day I sit and ignore my babies (mixed in with sit up all night keeping myself awake)
No wonder I am feeling so depressed.

DH works far away and has a long commute (2-3 hours each way) and uses hotels alot because of this. His daily average is 8 hours a day.

We are young and absolutely stupidly addicted.
I need help to get off

OP posts:
Original poster
peartreebeartree · 23/05/2021 05:50

By the way its nearly 6 and I've been up since around 4 on my phone. I can't sleep but I also can't put it down Confused

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beccahamlet · 23/05/2021 05:53

I've been faffing about on my phone half the night too. I'm going to leave it in the kitchen tonight. Could you do that pear tree?

Original poster
peartreebeartree · 23/05/2021 05:58

I do have a basket on a high shelf that I leave it in sometimes but I always get it out
i wonder why they are so addictive.
maybe a locked box will help more

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Myglassishalfempty · 23/05/2021 06:17

What are the main things you're doing on it?

Notagain20 · 23/05/2021 06:43

Corporations spend literally billions working out ways to keep you addicted to your phone. Your eyeballs make them money.

Notagain20 · 23/05/2021 06:52

I'm constantly trying to break my addiction but never manage it Grin

Laaaaa · 23/05/2021 06:53

Rubbish -mine is 12 hours even when I'm at work!

Clare876 · 23/05/2021 06:57

I need to do this too. I got rid of Facebook a few years ago and that felt freeing. However now I've found mumsnet and find myself spending too much time on here. Hence being on it at this time in the morning. My screen time is at least on par with yours. New beginnings... today!

Orangeinmybluelightcup · 23/05/2021 07:00

How do you find your figures? I look at mine far too much. I watched a show on bbc3 by a presenter called Hayley Pearce, I think it was called Hayley goes and there was an episode about phone free. She was clocking about 34hrs!!! It could be worth watching that to explain just why it's so hard to put it down. You can also get apps that can help! I used to use one called off time that would lock me out of apps for a specified amount of time. You can receive messages and make calls if you set it that way. I might get it again actually.

eatthepineapple · 23/05/2021 07:07

Totally feel you. When I had my 2nd baby in January I actually turned off the screen time thing as it was so depressing - some days like 6h. To be fair we were isolating a lot and still in lockdown, and I am breastfeeding so get pinned to the sofa a lot. But there's still no excuse for me being on it as much as I am.

Maybe I should turn it on and delete the Facebook app so I can STOP buying stuff off marketplace

Orangeinmybluelightcup · 23/05/2021 07:12

I've just discovered that on my Huawei phone in settings then digital balance I can set an overall screen time and specific limits for some apps. I've set 4hrs and then 2hrs for ecosia which will be mostly mumsnet time! I've been on 45m already today. Ds gets up at 6am and we tend to have screens until 7/7:30. Time to step away or I'll have no time later!!!

Orangeinmybluelightcup · 23/05/2021 07:13

It looks like it gives me a timing count down in my task bar. Very handy!

Orangeinmybluelightcup · 23/05/2021 07:14

I do think timing of when you use a phone is important too. Is it interfering with playing with the kids (yes because I kind of hate playing) then I put it in a different room. It's connected to my watch so if I have a WhatsApp or call that really is important then I don't miss it.

AngelDelightUk · 23/05/2021 07:19

I get scared to look at mine, but it’s currently average 8hrs 10 which is down 26% on last week.

If you guys have problems mine are huge!!!!

ProbablyAboutTime · 23/05/2021 07:20

I’m in a well-being group on Facebook and the woman who runs it had some really cool ideas to try and reduce screen time, which have helped me massively.

I can’t remember them all so will summarise the ones I do remember:

  1. Buy an actual alarm so you can put your phone out of reach last thing at night/first thing in the morning (there were loads of benefits she spoke about to not reaching for your phone at night/first thing too).
  1. Use apps that limit screen time. My favourite recommendation was Forest. You plant little trees for sets of time like 15 or 30 minutes but if you pick up your phone that tree dies. It’s good gamification to keep you off your phone.
  1. Reduce it gradually. Like PP said phones are designed to be addictive so you have to wean yourself slowly. Promise yourself 15 minutes less each week (monitor it on your screen time app) and work from there.
  1. Delete apps OR if you can’t do that then turn off notifications as they’re designed to make you want to pick up your phone.

I’ve gone down from about 5 hours a day (most of that scrolling in bed) to 3.5 now and aiming to get down to a maximum of two for important tasks and a quick MN brows Wink

SwanShaped · 23/05/2021 07:25

There’s currently a thread going for people trying to cut down. Bit ironic but helpful nonetheless. I’ll try to find it.

Tetherreached · 23/05/2021 07:28

It doesn't help that you can do literally everything from your phone. I think that can skew the figures. I check emails/play games/use social media and search shopping all on my phone. Playing games I reason that it's the same as sitting on the Xbox and that seems more socially acceptable in society.

But yes it's an absolute escape and hard to put down.

Orangeinmybluelightcup · 23/05/2021 07:40

Also replace it with something else, like a book to keep your hands and mind busy in its place.

Original poster
peartreebeartree · 23/05/2021 08:45

@orangeinmybluelightcup ecosia! Great!

you know I watched that documentary about how they keep you on there with the slot machine feeling when you reload the page and the notification sounds.

I spend most of my time on mumsnet and since I have started a new hobby I've been in Facebook again because I've joined loads of groups.

I have already put screen tuners on (but I turn them off everyday and thats sad) and I have taken off most of my notifications which helped for about a week but then I started checking each app more incase I have a message or something on there. like watsapp.
its so annoying.
it has been really useful over lockdown and on school days I was making it up to 8-10 hours with the added video calls. But I was happy because at least it wasn't me on my phone

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Original poster
peartreebeartree · 23/05/2021 08:52

@AngelDelightUk I'm actually down from about 6 not too long ago.

what upsets me is that before I found out i could see my screen time I expected I spent about 2 hours on my phone on a bad day and maybe an hour on a good one. But now I know a good day is 2 or 3 hours and a bad day is 6 or 7
thats so much of my life.
I do try to knit and haven't read a book in ages because I go on my phone.
I resisted a smartphone for a couple of years but I ended up needing one because of my kids school. their homework is app based and then their communication app and then there's Dr's and other stuff. its impossible to not have one.
I used to say to the teacher 'oh I don't have a smartphone' and she thought it was financial reasons not because I have no willpower!

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Original poster
peartreebeartree · 23/05/2021 08:55

2 hours today already

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