How to Reduce Screen Time By An Experienced Teen

By Ava Retter

If you’re anything like me, your parents are always on you about your phone use. Even though you may not have been using your phone much, if there's a phone in your hand, it comes along with:

“Get off your phone! You spend too much time on it!”

My parents, pretty much from the start of my electronic device journey, imposed screen time^TM limits on it.

As I got older, I gained more responsibility for my screen time limits (yay!) I found -to no one's surprise- that my screen time rose dramatically. May this be because of my get-all-the-time-I-can-get habit or that the algorithms knew how to keep me hooked… Needless to say, I was a bit addicted.

Here are the ways that I became less addicted:

1. Setting your own limits + special mention

If you have strict parents try asking them if you set your own limits (without knowing the password)! Not only are you holding yourself accountable, not knowing the password adds an extra kick just to make sure you follow through on those limits.

Star of the Show: Downtime

You’ll always find you want that 1 more minute on normal app usage limits. Downtime (a feature built in most screen time apps) allows you to block certain apps between certain times. It ensures that you aren’t online at a time where you should actually be doing something productive.

I. LOVE. DOWNTIME.

It has been a life saver for me (I have a hobby of procrastinating via screens) and has helped me study more and improve my grades!

      2.  Fill up your time

This is a big one. This year my goal was to do more -not because of my screen time- but just because. I found that by really embracing the “work hard, play hard” ethic, it made me so busy that I couldn’t scroll shorts. Furthermore, even if I had free time after all that, I would be too tired to lift my phone. The idea here is that by filling your free time, you have less opportunities to mindlessly be online. Even when there is, you’ll want to sleep more then be online.

I have kindly put together activities you can do:

• going out with friends and family

• excising

• walking your fish

• going to the library

• playing sports

• putting your grandma in the wash

• eating

      3.   The latest anti-technological invention

While I was researching for this article, I came upon this Kick Starter invention:

The Descreen-inator

By Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz (Evil Extraordinaire)

Tired of people ignoring you because they’re addicted to their screens? With the Descreen-inator, every phone, tablet, or TV in range vanishes! Poof! No more distractions — just eye contact, awkward silence, and forced social interaction!

Now they’ll have no choice but to pay attention—or worse, spend time in the real world!

Side effects may include: sudden boredom, increased reading, and talking to people.

I bought one hoping that I could use it on myself. I was delighted with the results! This review I found on ZapYourScreensNow.org sold me on the Descreen-inator, and if you are skeptical, as I was, it is sure to clear things up!

“I bought the Descreen-inator hoping to cure my own screen addiction. My phone did disappear as advertised.

No more phone, no more TikTok, no more endless scrolling at 3AM questioning my life choices was hard at first.

On Day 1, I tried to scroll on a banana. I asked a toaster for Wi-Fi. But then on Day 4… something weird happened. I went outside. I talked to a bird. I made eye contact with my barista and felt feelings.

The only con was that it also zapped all the window screens in my house. Now I have 4 pigeons in my kitchen and I don’t know how to get them out.

Would recommend. 4/5”

— Kyle McScreeninface, Former Phone Zombie

P.S. Please don’t put your grandma in the wash.