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Fed up with your smartphone addiction? It’s not only you, recent studies have shown that the typical user spends 3.15 hours a day in front of their mobile device. In addition, one in five people who use smartphones spends more than 4.5 hours a day on screen. Everything from our messages to our emails to our social media to our schedules to our music to our grocery lists can be found on our phones, and it may seem like our whole lives are tethered to them. Although having constant access to the internet is seen as a positive by many, studies suggest that excessive use of cell phones may be detrimental to our emotional and physical well-being. Now the thing is, how can you control screen time and stop your kids from sitting in front of screens too? In this article, we’ll be giving you wonderful tips to control and reduce screen time. So, stay hooked.
Tips To Control Screen Time
For adults, here are eight strategies to cut down on screen usage. When time in front of a computer is unavoidable, try adopting some of these healthy practices to reduce your negative effects:
1. Log your Screen Time
Many people stayed at home, reduced their travel, ate at home more regularly, and relied on electronic devices more often throughout the epidemic. Now that you have more independence, it is prudent to take stock of how much time you spend in front of screens and to set reasonable limits on that time. You can now track how much time you spend using various apps on your smartphone each day and week, allowing you to make adjustments as needed. The computer will notify you when the time restriction you set has been surpassed.
2. Utilize Technology
If you’re having trouble tearing yourself away from your screen, there are technological solutions that might help. Take regular breaks by setting reminders on your phone or calendar. Disable alerts from your social media and messaging apps to save yourself from becoming sidetracked. The phone won’t ring until you’re ready to talk. If your job is to sit most of the time in front of a computer’s screen, like if you’re a trader, you can utilise automatic bots like News Pro to help you out in executing tasks in a matter of minutes instead of spending hours.
3. Get Away From Screens for 3,4 Hours A Day
Protecting time away from screens is another strategy for developing a healthy relationship with technology. At least three to four hours every day should be spent without any electronic devices whatsoever. Children’s language development is negatively impacted by screen usage, and it has also been linked to behavioural issues. To maximize the positive effects, you should engage in some kind of physical activity during your screen-free periods. Better sleep may be achieved by avoiding screen usage in the hour before bed.
4. Take A 20-Minute Break Every Hour
Many individuals suffer from digital eye strain, a disease caused by looking at near objects like phone displays for too long which may cause eye fatigue, eye discomfort, and impaired vision. Some preliminary studies have also linked increased myopia (nearsightedness) to too much screen use during the epidemic.
5. Use the 20-20-20 Rule
Every 20 minutes in front of a screen, look away for twenty seconds at anything at least twenty feet away. If you’re a parent, you should impose even stricter boundaries on yourself. Recent studies have shown that children’s social and linguistic abilities, as well as their memory and attention spans, might suffer from excessive screen usage. The amount of time spent in front of a computer is something kids learn from their parents, and parents who set limits on their own screen time can set limits for their children too.
Support via adult modelling of reduced screen usage is equally as crucial as the existence of rules and limitations on-screen use. If parents restrict their own screen time, their kids are more inclined to do the same. However, if the parents are heavy screen users themselves, whatever limitations they try to put on their children’s screen time are doomed to fail.
6. Sit Less
If you can, try to convert at least half of your workstation into a standing desk so you can get some exercise while you work. Standing desks are modified desks that allow their owners to work while standing. Since they are good for you, their popularity is skyrocketing. If you stand up more, you lower your risk of becoming overweight or obese. In a nutshell, reducing sedentary time will reduce smartphone use. If you spend a lot of time on the phone at work, invest in a pair of headphones and make time to get some physical activity in.
7. Take Care Of Your Posture
Your head will be more supported and you’ll feel less tired and achy if you adopt a natural, upright posture with modest curvature in the lower back and shoulders.
Paying attention to your posture might help you avoid or at least lessen some of the health problems associated with prolonged computer use. If you do most of your work from home, you may save your neck and back by creating a workstation that encourages mobility and proper posture.
8. Power Down at Night
The ability to obtain a restful night’s sleep is crucial to your health and productivity during the day, yet studies suggest that gazing at a screen for too long before bed can: Make it more difficult to fall asleep; and Decrease the quality of sleep you do receive. If you want to maintain your mental and physical well-being, you should stop browsing at least one hour before bedtime.
Key Takeaway
You may teach yourself to stop using screens at a certain time by setting alarms, or you can designate your sleep and bathroom device-free zones by putting chargers and gadgets somewhere else. The most crucial takeaway is to go easy on yourself when it comes to screen usage. Even if you can just implement a few of these suggestions, you may notice an improvement in your health and happiness.
