If you spend a lot of time using your smartphone, scientists have a list of 10 solutions that can help you cut back on screen time.
Experts at McGill University in Canada say small, effective changes can help reduce smartphone addiction and mental health problems such as depression.
Experts reported that in experiments, people who followed the strategies reduced screen time, felt less addicted to their phones and improved their sleep quality.
Among the ten strategies: changing the phone’s screen to “grayscale” so that the screen appears black and white, and disabling facial recognition as a way to unlock the screen.
The black and white screen makes looking at smartphones less satisfying compared to the bright colors offered by app icons.
Another effective way is to use a computer instead of a smartphone to connect to the Internet and to keep the phone away from the bedroom so that we are not tempted to pick it up when we are supposed to be asleep.
The study’s authors warned that “problematic smartphone use” has been increasing worldwide over the past decade.
In their paper, published in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, they say: “Combining different behavioral strategies could be a feasible and effective intervention to reduce smartphone use. Our findings may be useful to phone manufacturers and app developers interested in improving digital wellbeing.”