Screen time

Mina Kmiecik, Winter in Chicago, 2023, acrylic on canvas.

When I was an undergraduate, I took two of the most consequential classes of my life: Cognitive Psychology and Judgment and Decision Making. I also took them at the right time in my life; it was my second year of university and I began to hit my stride academically. I had a rough time transitioning into university-level classes in my first year and my study habits/methods were ineffectual.

But my sophomore year I tried some new study strategies that prioritized understanding over memorization. This increased the enjoyment of my classes and I started paying attention to the course material during lectures rather than trying to copy every thing down for the exam. I began to find the study of the human mind and behavior fascinating.

In Judgment and Decision Making, we learned how subtle changes to our environment can have a large impact on our behavior. For example, imagine a sharp curve in the road that is causing car accidents on the outskirts of your city. What are some strategies you could employ to prevent these accidents? 

One method to try to slow people down is to reduce the speed limit via signage. However, signs are not always effective and require people to consciously pay attention to them, or rely on individuals’ desire to obey signage to avoid repercussions (e.g., speeding ticket). Not so effective.

The solution? We learned that road chevrons—painted arrows on the roadside—can be an effective way to slow drivers down.¹

The way road chevrons work is that they provide drivers the illusion that they are going faster than they actually are, causing drivers to slow down when approaching curves. Learning about small environmental changes that influence behavior really stuck with me as I pursued a career studying the human brain. Can we use this principle to improve daily life?

I don’t think I’m alone in admitting that I have a problem with screen time on my mobile phone—in my case, an iPhone. It’s a subconscious desire to check my phone for any notifications or to enjoy a few moments of entertainment via social media. What amazes me is that I often don’t “think” to check my phone; I just find myself scrolling through social media before even realizing it. If you’ve ever received the “take a break” screen from scrolling TikTok, you know what I mean. I’m addicted; plain and simple.

But I’ve been self-aware about this issue for a while now. In a previous post, I wrote about how I started to first notice this issue in graduate school after I discovered Twitter. My solution was to use the Forest iOS app to block distractions.

Seeing the forest for the trees

This app worked well for a few years, but it wasn’t a perfect solution. Using Forest is an “opt-in” method. You have to consciously decide to want to focus on a task, pull out your phone, and set the timer. This of course poses an immediate roadblock if you are addicted to your phone. I’d notice that when I went to set the timer, I’d quickly check email and social media, thus prolonging my focus time again. I needed a better solution.

I tried hiding my phone. I would put it in the other room, or in a desk drawer. This worked well for the first week, but then I started to crack again. Why? Again, this is an “opt-in” method. I would often forget to hide my phone, or, if wanting a break, go find my phone anyways. I scoured the internet for another app, something more automatic. I needed a road chevron for my phone. 

I couldn’t find any apps that did what I wanted—free ones at least. However, I discovered that the functionality I desired was already built into my phone! iOS Screen Time allows you to customize an app schedule, and even app limits, to reduce your screen time. There’s an initial “opt-in” where you have to set up the schedule, but after that, the app limits/time windows are set automatically each day. The chevrons are in place.

On iOS, I went to Settings > Screen Time > Downtime. From here, I set a schedule for when I was restricted access specific apps on my phone. I set mine to restrict access between 9:30AM–6:00PM Monday–Friday. Now, my main issue is with social media apps. These include Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Substack, and LinkedIn. Therefore, I went to Settings > Screen Time > Always Allowed and moved all my apps, except for my problem apps, to “Always Allowed”. This was tedious because I had a lot of apps on my phone, but well worth it in the end.

The result was incredible! In the first week I found myself picking up my phone subconsciously as usual, but when I unlocked it I found that my restricted apps were darkened. Upon clicking them, a message appeared that the app was restricted. I’d put my phone down and continue working. 

The restriction worked automatically each day; the process was no longer “opt-in”. Through the first week, I began checking my phone less and less with each passing day. My focus improved, I felt more productive, my mood was better. My mind felt more clear and less chaotic. I felt free. When the schedule unlocked my problem apps, I would often not even realize it and check when I had time. I loved this freedom so much that I even changed my app restriction schedule to include weekends. 

iOS screen time is my road chevron that allows me to slow down and focus on what lies ahead. What are your road chevrons? Join my chat; I’d love to hear from you! 

1. Hunter, M., Boonsiripant, S., Guin, A., Rodgers, M. O., & Jared, D. (2010). Evaluation of Effectiveness of Converging Chevron Pavement Markings in Reducing Speed on Freeway Ramps. Transportation Research Record, 2149(1), 50–58. https://doi.org/10.3141/2149-06