Why are we labeling screen time as good or bad?
Instead, what if we asked ourselves, “What is it replacing?”
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From the wallpaper we choose to the apps we download, how we engage with our devices is personal. The same goes with the clothes we wear and the food we eat. These choices make you (you!) and me (me!), molding each of us into a unique limited edition human.
So let’s stop labeling what we do on our screens as “good” or “bad”.
A few weeks ago, I listened to a podcast episode from the WSJ Tech News Briefing. The episode broke down Apple’s screen time feature and even shared that some activities we might consider to count towards screen time does not. For example, listening to a podcast episode and the screen turns off from inactive touch. The journalist continued the episode discussing good versus bad screen time. She shared that an example of “good” screen time would be communicating with family and friends and an example of “bad” screen time would be scrolling on social media. The episode is now deleted.
However, I did find an article the WSJ published that shares the same helpful content and guilt-inducing sentiment.
I understand the essence of what the article is trying to say: There are more meaningful experiences we can have on our devices. But to label activities we choose to do on our gadgets as “good” or “bad” is not the greatest approach to educating the public about screen time.
The WSJ chose a path to make people feel bad about what they choose to invest their screen time in doing in order to get readers. All of us have the potential of getting sucked into our devices or getting distracted by them (me included and I’m a digital wellness coach). Our gadgets are addictive by design!
Instead of making people feel bad about where they are choosing to give their attention during screen time, we can instead use an educational and constructive approach, teaching topics such as:
How the brain interacts with technology (and social media!)
The harms of addictive tech design and why it exists
Ideas on how to create boundaries with your devices
Lousy marketing and advertising campaigns already teach us to feel bad about enough in life, and we don’t want screen time conversations to impose additional levels of guilt. So, next time anyone is trying to help people with their tech use, please keep in mind the design tactics and culture we are up against to try to get our human agency back from technology.
Everything in moderation. Maybe you have heard this saying growing up begging for a chocolate chip cookie before dinner or maybe it was in college, revolving around the unexplored freedoms that come with living away from home. Too much or too little of anything is not the best thing for us.
Have you heard of “Super Size Me”? Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock captured his experience eating McDonalds everyday for an entire month in his 2004 documentary.
Spurlock rose to prominence for “Super Size Me,” in which he conducted an experiment involving consuming only food from McDonald’s for a 30-day stretch. The rules also included the stipulation that Spurlock could not refuse the “super-size” option if prompted during the transaction. The filmmaker also exercised less to match the average American’s physical activity. By the end of the experiment, Spurlock claimed that he gained 25 pounds and suffered from depression and liver dysfunction (Morfoot, 2024).
McDonald’s may not be the best dining choice for every single meal, but it can taste good if you’re a Mickey D’s fan. Who doesn’t want to indulge in the occasional Big Mac or McFlurry or food item? There are healthier, more nutritious options we can choose from at any other fast food establishment, restaurant, and even our own grocery list. This same idea applies to screen time: we have moments of indulgence and moments of self-control. Everything in moderation.
Instead of labeling screen time as good or bad, what if we asked ourselves, “what is it replacing?”
Our devices are personal; we have an intimate connection with them—I think I have held my phone more than another person’s hand. If you find it difficult to intentionally use the technology in your life and are open to advice about conscious tech use, try the approach of asking, “What is it replacing?”.
Here’s a scenario:
Option A), you wake up at 6 a.m., journal for 30 minutes, read a book for 30 minutes, and go to the gym for an hour, all before you have to be at work for 8 o'clock in the morning.
Option B), you wake up at 7 a.m., scroll on TikTok and check your email in bed for an hour before getting ready for the work day.
What morning would set you up for success, getting you to feel and be your best self? Maybe both depending on how you operate. However, in Option A) you are replacing morning scrolling and elevated cortisol levels with activities that get you thinking, learning, and moving.
The same thought process can be applied to food. Eating a pizza, you are replacing it with more nutrient dense food you could be eating to fuel your body. It’s not bad to eat pizza just like it’s not bad to have a morning scroll. However, there are better actions you could be doing to feel and operate as the best version of yourself.
Please, let’s not fuel dialogue that praises and demonizes the type of screen time we choose to engage in. It’s not constructive. Of course there are better things we can do on our devices than scroll on social media, but it’s entertaining and a way to connect with friends. There are also more nutritious foods we could be eating besides pizza but the salty gooey cheese and tomato sauce tastes good.
Engage with devices as if you are eating thick decadent chocolate mousse, make every bite enriching and purposeful.
The world will not spin on with fewer screens (at least anytime soon). All we can do is be curious, learn, and try to do the best we can for ourselves and others.
Takeaways:
Try not to feel bad about your screen time
Everything in moderation
Be curious about how you engage with devices and ask, “What is it replacing?”
Screen time should be a similar experience to eating chocolate mousse, enriching and purposeful
Until next time,
Wherever you are, be there
Hi 👋 My name is Celine Baumgartner and I am an ex social media manager, turned digital wellness coach. I also Lindy Hop to jazzy swing tunes and write my own Substack, Digitally Exhausted.
I stumbled across Beyond the Feed a few months ago and reached out to connect with Kristen about digital wellness. One of the internet's gifts is the ability for us to easily connect with people and I am grateful that I found another person planting inspirational seeds for digital wellness.
Thank you, Beyond the Feed, for having me as a guest.
P.S. Working to improve task or attention management? I am offering people who are interested in digital wellness coaching FREE coaching sessions.
Book a time here: https://bit.ly/tasteofcoachingwithceline
Questions? Email me at imcelinemarie@gmail.com
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