So, as has my wife, I have recognized that I spend an excessive amount of time on my smartphone each day on average. In August 2019, The Guardian reported that the moderate phone use in the UK was between three hours and 15 minutes, with about 20% indulging as much as four and a half hours. It would seem I am above average.
What is most astonishing is the fact that my average total would work out to about 90 days.
Honest to goodness, this is only my smartphone use. As a 7-12 STEM teacher, I probably add another 3-6 hours on the laptop each school day. As a professional, I must use technology in the classroom to promote 21st Century learner attributes, no doubt.
Thirty-seven pickups a day is my average. Over about six hours, I pick up the phone for almost 10 minutes at a time. So, it is no wonder that there is a loss in person-to-person interaction without the smartphone mediating IRL. I would like to say that all of this extra screen time has somehow improved my life, but it really has not. I find myself skimming through half of a post or article, liking it, or saving it to read later. The truth is, I never check back, and I keep accumulating posts, links, and so on to an ever-expanding list of items that I have perused. Something has to give. I had been using the Screen Time App to help me manage my phone use. I had set my social media to a paltry 5 minutes, extended only by ignoring the alert. I mentioned my digital detox to my students and they seemed intrigued by the statistics and it was an opportunity to discuss the vicelike grip smartphone apps can have on our life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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We had already been quite vigilant about keeping devices off the kitchen table, but being so far away from family, especially in the age of Covid, we have been finding it challenging not to disengage from one another and follow our path down the rabbit hole. Mostly, we are trying to lead by example. As the screen between us comes down, we have sought to engage in more hands-on activities and get around to the library books we have meant to read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, now that I have taken the plunge into reducing my dependency or reducing the amount of valuable time immersed in my smartphone, I feel like I have mastered my habit somewhat without the irritability and cravings perhaps one would experience quitting any other vice. Truthfully, while I have reduced my smartphone use considerably, it will never be gone completely. My wife and I committed to deleting our greediest apps and keeping in touch with family back east through the phone and messaging. The challenge, of course, is to make sure my phone use does not creep up to six hours a day. My wife and I agreed to help one another manage our phone use. As my mother once said ” Master your habits or they will master you”.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
So just wondering, my number is 90: What’s yours? You may be curious about my number being 90. What does this have to do with…<\/p>\n