Good Ideas To Help Cut Screen Time
As with most things there's a trade off. We live in a world where the once unthinkable is common practice; we have instant access to almost everything you can think of via our electronic devices. Whether it's a traditional personal computer or television, or more modern (but aging) devices like cellphones, tablets, and smart watches - we've become accustomed to being connected to the world at all times. If you can think it, wish it, or want to know more information about it - a few clicks and the problem is solved.
But as we've enjoyed the easy, instant-access to the world via our smart devices, we've also become tethered to them as well. Here are some statistics in regards to screen time for the average American citizen:
- 86% of Americans access the internet on a daily basis
- 5.4 hours - the average time most Americans spend on their cellphone each day
- 94% of American people between the age of 19-29 own a smartphone - able to connect to the internet
- 81% of Americans access the internet via a different source than a cellphone (i.e. a desktop computer or tablet as an example)
- 6.75 hours - the amount of time non-Americans spend accessing the internet
- 48 minutes a day - the total time American millenials spend texting
- 13% of American millenials spend more than 12 hours a day (12 hours a day!) on their smartphone or cellphone
- 4.5 hours - the average time an American spends watching television each day
- 10.75 hours - the total screen time spent by an average American each day
- All of those statistics are eye-opening in that they detail the way that electronic devices with screens have basically consumed our daily lives. And the scary part is that they're doing it in such a passive way that most people don't even think about it - it just happens.
There is a lot of talk about "unplugging", disconnecting from the internet, and decreasing our screen time. Easier sometimes said than done. But there are ways we can accomplish this if we try.
What follows are some good ideas towards decreasing screen time - some easy to do and others more difficult. Even applying one of these ideas into your daily routine would go a long way towards using electronics less.