Want to scroll less? Experts share their best advice
“If you can free yourself a little from your phone and physically put it away, I think you’ll experience less stress and fewer daily distractions,” says a researcher.
“The focus in the media is often on reducing screen time. I think the more important question is how you're spending that time,” says researcher Jens Christoffer Skogen.(Stock photo: Emilie Holtet / NTB)
You pick up your phone, start scrolling, and suddenly half an hour has passed. Videos, pictures, and engaging statements flash across the screen.
New guidelines for children and adolescents in Norway are intended to prevent the negative effects of screen use. Parents are encouraged to be good role models and limit their own phone use.
“It's very important to remember that our behaviour can influence the behaviour of children and adolescents,” says Steinar Krokstad.
He is a professor of social medicine at NTNU and studies socioeconomic causes of poor health.
"Even if it may not be harmful for people my age to spend a lot of time on social media, we need to be aware of the message our behavior sends to children and grandchildren," he says.
Annonse
Have you been thinking about scrolling less on your phone recently? Here are some researchers’ tips to help you succeed.
Reflect on whether you really want to spend so much time on screens, recommends Ole Petter Hjelle.(Photo: Kristiania University of Applied Sciences)
1. Find out how much you use your phone
Ole Petter Hjelle is a doctor, associate professor at the University of Inland Norway, and head of the ABEL Institute. His first tip is to acknowledge how much time you spend on screens.
"Check your screen time and reflect a little on whether you actually want to spend that much time on screens. If you want to reduce your screen time, you need to be motivated to do it," he says.
2. Choose what you want to use your phone for
Jens Christoffer Skogen at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health researches social media use and mental health among children and adolescents.
He recommends thinking about how you can use your phone in a more meaningful and intentional way, instead of reaching for it out of habit.
Perhaps you don't actually spend that many hours on your phone, but you interrupt yourself many times an hour by checking notifications.
"Open your phone with a purpose, not just because you're bored," he says.
Professor Steinar Krokstad at NTNU also advises adults to prioritise how we spend our time.
Be mindful of what message you're sending through your phone use, urges Professor Steinar Krokstad.(Photo: NTNU)
"When you find yourself sitting on the sofa scrolling through meaningless things, a little alarm should go off," says Krokstad.
Go for a walk, pick up a book or do something useful for yourself and others instead of “just sitting there wasting time," he says.
3. Turn off notifications and app sounds
Jens Christoffer Skogen suggests turning off notifications or sounds for apps. This often has to be done again after updates.
Annonse
Ole Petter Hjelle gives the same advice:
"An important reason we pick up our phones so often is that they make a sound. Keep the ringtone on if you like, but turn off notifications for social media, email, and so on. When you do that, we actually see that people use screens about 25 per cent less."
4. Create rules
Ole Petter Hjelle also recommends making agreements and rules for yourself.
"For example, set aside certain times of day that are screen-free, where the phone is physically put away," he says.
If it's in your pocket, you're going to check it, he notes.
Another example is making the bedroom, bathroom, or dinner table phone-free zones.
5. Make your screen black and white
Another thing that can help is changing your screen to greyscale, says Ole Petter Hjelle. Many apps use colours and logos that are designed to attract our attention.
"If you switch your screen to black and white, the phone becomes more boring. That alone makes us use it a little less," says Hjelle.
You can free up time for other things, points out Jens Christoffer Skogen.(Photo: Private)
Decide what you will use the extra time for
Jens Christoffer Skogen points out that spending less time on your phone gives you the opportunity to spend that time on something else you want to do.
But that depends on how much you use your phone to begin with. And it's not guaranteed that you will do something more productive instead.
“You might just end up watching TV,” he says.
It can be helpful to think in advance about how you want to use the time you free up, says Skogen.
Benefits: mood and stress
Studies have found that people report greater well-being after cutting out passive scrolling. The problem with such studies is that participants often know what they are signing up for and may expect to feel better, explains Skogen.
At the very least, reducing unnecessary phone use may give you a better conscience. If you also turn off unnecessary notifications, it may well feel liberating, says Skogen.
"I also think we will be less stressed. Many of the things that happen on smartphones were introduced to make life easier, such as email. It has become an uncontrolled beast, with messages pouring in and making us feel we have to be available 24 hours a day," says Hjelle, adding:
“If you can free yourself a little from your phone and physically put it away, I think you’ll experience less stress and fewer daily distractions."
