Blocking the temptation: Apps to help limit phone usage
More stories from Abigail Lindsay
While phones can be a helpful resource, they have also become an addiction. However, there are apps available to help limit and regulate how much time we are spending on are phones.
In a society filled with technology, we are constantly surrounded by the temptation of electronics. Approximately 1.54 billion smartphones are bought each year worldwide according to Statista.com. Thus, the addiction to constantly be on your phone can be hard to avoid.
In an article from The Washington Post, Common Sense Media, a family technology education non-profit group, found that teens spend around nine hours each day “using media such as online video or music.”
However, there are applications that have been created to specifically curve phone usage. Here’s a list of some apps that help limit how much time we spend on phones:
Flora
Flora is a focused habit tracker that adds a fun twist to help limit users phone time. You begin by planting a seed that will eventually grow into a tree. To get your tree to grow, you must only have your phone on this app. As soon as you leave, your tree will shrivel up and die.
Flora is unique in that you can sync it with friends so that when one person leaves the app the group’s tree dies. You can collect trees from all over the world, in order to expand your garden. Flora is available only for IOS users and is free to download.
Offtime
The Offtime app promotes the motto of “finding balance in your online and offline life.” The app is based out of Spain and allows users to understand how much time they are truly spending on their phones.
Offtime breaks down how much time is spent on each app, every day. It allows you to set hurdles, reminders, or restrict apps when you begin using them more than the daily set time, that users can set up. At Offtime they believe that “unplugging isn’t isolation, it’s an opportunity to reconnect”. Offtime is available for free to both IOS and Android users.
UnGlue
While originally designed as an app for parents to use in order to monitor their children’s screen time, UnGlue has now become used by all generations. UnGlue monitors your phone usage in order to determine what apps you spend the most time in.
You can set limits of how much time you want on each app. The time bank allows for you to see how much time you have remaining in that app for the day. A feature of UnGlue geared towards children is allowing the child to earn screen time which can be spent just like cash. For doing a task such as cleaning the dishes or taking out the trash, parents can reward the child with screen time.
UnGlue also allows you to set up a schedule, so you can set aside time for tasks such as doing homework. The app is free to download and comes with a 14-day free trial. Once the trial expires you can opt to continue for the basic version which is free or pay $11.99 per month for unlimited access to all the apps features. UnGlue is available to both IOS and Android users.
In today’s fast-paced world, using our phones is crucial in order to get information quickly. However, we can often become wrapped up in constantly using our phones. With the help of these apps, people are able to avoid the temptation of using their phone in order to reconnect with the world around them.
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Abigail Lindsay is excited to share the role of editor in chief with Samantha Martin, for her third and final year on the Periscope staff. At CHS, she...
Maddie Couto • Mar 18, 2019 at 9:45 am
I can relate to the issue of being on my phone way too much. I am aware that this is a problem in my life, and I have tried a handful of things to stop myself from spending too much time on my phone. Apple also offers a screen limit option, but I don’t find that it is very useful because it is easy to override or stop. I hope that one of these apps will be helpful for me to try and spend less time on my phone. I was shocked to hear that kids are spending an average of 9 hours a day on their phones. I generally spend 5 hours a day on my phone which I feel is a lot of time. That statistic means that the majority of people spend almost all of their waking hours on thier electronics.
Amy Knapp • Feb 26, 2019 at 12:30 pm
This is a very helpful article! I am going to try the UnGlue app with my youngest daughter – thanks for the ideas!