While we are no longer tethered to the kitchen wall by the telephone, can we really say that we have cut the cord? Nobody can argue with the fact that cell phones have had a tremendous positive impact on society. The ability to contact anyone at any time, immediate access to a wealth of information, constant entertainment, the list could go on and on. But, as Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben (or Voltaire) says, “with great power comes great responsibility.”
From the physical design of the phone itself to the apps you install, almost everything about this pocket-sized computer is designed to bind you to the device by driving your usage up through dopamine hits, and it’s working. The average American spends 4 hours and 37 minutes on their phones every day. It is no wonder many of us feel less productive than we used to be…we are! We lose 70 days a year to our phones!
You might be wondering why we bring this up on a Safe Communities blog. Well, cell phones have brought change in ALL areas of our lives, including crime. Much of today’s crime is actually initiated and committed via cell phones.
Being aware of the time we spend on these devices is the first step to minimizing the negative effects these miniature computers have. Too much time spent on cell phones can lead to addiction (especially in youth) which impacts sleep, lowers attention span, and reduces cognition. All of this leads to anxiety, stress, and feelings of loneliness and insecurity which has a negative impact on our relationships. Many studies compare cell phone addiction to cocaine addiction; not just in terms of the power of a phone addiction but also in the way it physically affects the brain and our relationships.
The tech companies behind our cell phones understand that this is a problem. Most phone companies have installed a notification that automatically sends a weekly message telling you how much time you averaged on your phone each day. If you get those, set goals to lower your time each week. If you don’t get those notifications, check your settings to see if it is available. If not…don’t worry, there are other options! Click here to see how you can check the usage on your phone.
Better yet, beat the tech companies at their own game and install an app that simplifies your phone to block those dopamine hits. To read more about this app, click here. My daughter installed this app when she started noticing that she was on her phone too much. She was shocked to see that she had knocked over 8 hours off her usage that first week. She continues to use it and it has kept her consumption consistently lower than prior to having installed it.
These are just a couple of ways to be mindful of the time you spend on your phone. Hopefully it’s something you find helpful. We’ll be talking more about this in the next few weeks so check back with us next week for more!
