Who controls the time you or your mobile phone?

The mobile phone more or less controls our lives. We are constantly connected and for some, more involved in the lives of others than our own. How much time do we actually scroll away and are we not all in need of a digital break?

“The alarm clock rings, 2 seconds later I hold the alarm clock in my hand. The phone. I

goes to Instagram to update me. After all, it was 8 hours since I last checked the flow and a lot may have happened during the night. Or? I scroll through the feed on Instagram, Facebook, check if there is anything new on Snapchat. Also has time to check SMHI, Aftonbladet private email and job email. I'm looking at the clock, oh 30 minutes have passed since the bell rang and now it's going to be a stressful morning.”

Above you read Stephanie Spindler, founder of MyPauze's own words about what a morning in her life could look like. I think many of us can recognize ourselves in what is described. That the mobile phone is the first thing picked up when we wake up probably does not come as a shock either. Every now and then our screen time starts to tick and on average we scroll away 6 years out of our lives. We spend 6 years looking away from the world we live in and instead down in our phones. 

According to a survey conducted to gain a better understanding of how other people's digital habits and thoughts about screen time look, the corresponding 30.3% say that they spend on average 1-2 hours on their phone per day while 36.3% answered that they on average spend between 2-3 hours per day. The question “How many times a day do you pick up and check your mobile phone?”Was also asked where 34.3% answered that they pick up their mobile phone 25-40 times a day. The majority of the participants in the survey, on the other hand, expressed that they would like to spend a maximum of 1-1.5 hours per day on their phone. This indicates how difficult it can actually be to tear yourself as you often pick up your phone unknowingly. Getting to the realization yourself that you may be in need of a digital break is not as obvious. 

The question was asked how further the participants are in need of a digital break where 66.9% answered yes and 23% maybe. However, it may be easier to point out someone else's needs. When the question was asked again and instead asked if anyone they knew had needed a digital break, as many as 92.3% answered yes. Maybe it's time to rethink and reflect on your own screen time. Do you really want to scroll away from your life? 

(All data is taken from MyPauze survey)