Tips for Phone Use
We’ve become unable to resist the magnetic pull of our apps, messages, and mindless scrolling. Even knowing the harms and the science behind it – push notifications reward us with dopamine, the brain chemical that makes us happy – isn’t enough to empower us to break free. We carry on, vowing to cut down while knowing we will not.
But is all phone use equally ill-advised? “It’s really about a healthy balance and variety,” says Andy Robertson, technology expert and author of Taming Gaming.
That’s not to say we can offset an hour of Instagram with a Sudoku puzzle. The goal, rather, is to be conscious of what you’re using and how, so that you’re in control.
One simple way to do this is by adjusting our phone settings. First, turn off most notifications. Then, suggests Robertson, you might consciously choose to devote a 30-minute period to engaging with your messages, rather than being constantly distracted by them all day.
“The tools are there [to regulate how our phones interrupt us],” he says. “We should just spend an hour or two setting them up.”
We’ve become unable to resist the magnetic pull of our apps, messages, and mindless scrolling. Even knowing the harms and the science behind it – push notifications reward us with dopamine, the brain chemical that makes us happy – isn’t enough to empower us to break free. We carry on, vowing to cut down while knowing we will not.
But is all phone use equally ill-advised? “It’s really about a healthy balance and variety,” says Andy Robertson, technology expert and author of Taming Gaming.
That’s not to say we can offset an hour of Instagram with a Sudoku puzzle. The goal, rather, is to be conscious of what you’re using and how, so that you’re in control.
One simple way to do this is by adjusting our phone settings. First, turn off most notifications. Then, suggests Robertson, you might consciously choose to devote a 30-minute period to engaging with your messages, rather than being constantly distracted by them all day.
“The tools are there [to regulate how our phones interrupt us],” he says. “We should just spend an hour or two setting them up.”
Vocabulary
magnetic pull – a very strong attraction that is hard to fight, “The magnetic pull of the beach made everyone want to go outside.”
mindless scrolling – looking through social media for a long time without a real reason, “I spent an hour in mindless scrolling before realizing how late it was.”
push notifications – automatic messages from apps that pop up on your phone screen, “Turning off push notifications helped him stay focused on his homework.”
dopamine – a chemical in the brain that makes you feel good or happy, “Winning the game caused a quick rush of dopamine in his brain.”
brain chemical – a natural substance in the body that changes how you feel or think, “Serotonin is another important brain chemical that keeps you in a good mood.”
empower us – to give us the power or confidence to do something, “Learning how to save money will empower us to buy our own home.”
break free – to escape from a bad habit, person, or situation, “It took a long time for her to break free from her phone addiction.”
vowing – making a serious promise to do something, “He is vowing to go to the gym every single day starting next week.”
cut down – to do or use less of something, “The doctor told him to cut down on sugar to stay healthy.”
ill-advised – a bad idea or an unwise choice, “Driving through a big flood during a storm is highly ill-advised.”
healthy balance – a good mix of different things so that one thing does not take over, “A healthy balance between work and play keeps you from getting too stressed.”
variety – a lot of different types of things, “The restaurant menu has a wide variety of foods to choose from.”
Andy Robertson – the name of a technology writer and expert, “Andy Robertson writes helpful books for families about screen time.”
technology expert – someone who knows a lot about computers, phones, and digital systems, “We asked a technology expert to fix our broken website.”
Taming Gaming – the title of a book about managing video game habits, “The book Taming Gaming offers great tips for parents.”
offset – to balance out the effects of something bad with something good, “He hoped that a healthy lunch would offset the cake he ate for breakfast.”
Sudoku puzzle – a popular number game where you fill a grid with numbers 1 to 9, “He likes to solve a Sudoku puzzle every morning with his coffee.”
conscious – being aware of what you are doing on purpose, “She made a conscious choice to eat more vegetables every day.”
in control – having the power to manage a situation or yourself, “Even though the room was noisy, the teacher stayed in control of the class.”
adjusting – changing something slightly to make it better, “Try adjusting the brightness of your screen if your eyes hurt.”
Robertson – the last name of the tech expert Andy Robertson, “We read a quote by Robertson about how to manage screen time.”
devote – to give your time or effort to a specific task or person, “She decided to devote her weekends to helping at the animal shelter.”
engaging with – paying attention to or interacting with someone or something, “The teacher focused on engaging with the students instead of just reading a book.”
constantly distracted – having your attention taken away over and over again, “It is hard to study when you are constantly distracted by loud noises.”
regulate – to control how something works or how much of it happens, “You can use an app to regulate how much time you spend online.”
interrupt us – to stop us from doing what we are doing, “Please do not let these phone calls interrupt us during our dinner.”