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HT Brunch Game Show: Who’s managing screen time best?
The one who limits social media, the one who keeps notifications on silent, or the one who uses an app? And you?
Hormazd Sorabjee,
Editor of Autocar India and HT Brunch columnist
How many hours of screen time did you average earlier?
Four hours, 12 minutes on WhatsApp, news websites and Twitter.
What is your usual screen time per day now?
Two hours, 23 minutes.
How do you limit your screen time?
By keeping my phone at more than arm’s length, literally! And getting off group chats. I also use the Do Not Disturb function to silence notifications for most of the day.
Do you limit your screen time across all devices?
No, only on my phone.
What led you to limit your screen time?
To increase productivity and focus.
Do you feel you’ve benefited from this?
For sure. I’m less of a slave to a screen!
Priya Chaudhary, Student, writer and social media manager
How many hours of screen time did you average earlier?
Around 10 hours a day.
What is your usual screen time per day now?
About six hours, including researching and scheduling posts for the brands I work with.
How do you limit your screen time?
I use a timer that blocks Instagram on my phone after I have used it for two hours.
Do you limit your screen time across all devices?
I usually use my laptop for work, so there is no limit.
What led you to limit your screen time?
An unhealthy number of hours scrolling Instagram.
Do you feel you’ve benefited from this?
Yes, it helps create a calmer atmosphere for me.
Ipshita Nayak,
Content marketer, editor and hatha yoga teacher
How many hours of screen time did you average earlier?
Six to seven hours.
What is your usual screen time per day now?
Two to three hours. But sometimes I slip up.
How do you limit your screen time?
I keep my phone elsewhere when I’m working and use the Digital Wellbeing app. I allow myself 90 minutes of IG time per day split into three parts of 30 minutes each.
Do you limit your screen time across all devices?
Just my phone.
What led you to limit your screen time?
The Digital Wellbeing app made me aware of how much I was on my phone.
Do you feel you’ve benefited from this?
It’s a good start.
And the winners are…Hormazd, Priya and Ipshita
“Don’t allow technology to replace opportunities for social connection”
“All three are doing great at setting themselves an obstacle course to the apps that consume most of their screen time,” says Gayatri Jayaraman, poet, counsellor and founder of the mind, body, spirit practice, Shamah, adding, “Research shows that increased screen time is equated with reduced curiosity, self-control, focus, emotional stability and increased stress and distractibility. Don’t allow technology to replace opportunities for social connection.”
Tip: Increase your use of the external world. Walk to a store. Play a board game with a friend instead of a solo game online. Things like this give us a sense of community and belonging.
Follow @modwel Instagram and @UrveeM on Twitter
From HT Brunch, April 16, 2022
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