background: got a fairphone 5, stock android version 15 because of digital ID necessity or else i effectively lose citizenship (we gotta push back against this in the nordics but that’s sociology & bureaucracy so saving it for another thread)
i got: • zero amount of TikTok YouTube etc. apps • greyscale • brightness turnt down • screen usage tracker apps
here’s my screentime stats for this week
it’s literally all from ThreadiVerse (PieFed with Interstellar client), FLOS dating apps (Alovoa & Duolicious) + a regional non-free dating app forum suite and lastly reading manga watching porn…
i’ve never been this much bedrotting since i was a teen in the 2010s and not even then.
what i need is a way to enforce recommended guidelines that do exist for phone (ab)use: • that the phone shuts off after 2 hours of screentime per day. alternatively blank screen or just annoyance. • second-long breaks/timeouts every few minutes.
that is literally all. on a linux OS like PostMarketOS, SailFishOS, UbuntuTouch this is guaranteed doable, right? i can make the OS switch and appreciate insight into an operator implementing this in comments so that all can learn. it’s surely a meagre >=99 LoC shellscript source code to implement.
but on android? idk if that’s allowed or even possible to implement on stock android.
what are your thoughts? abhorring situation, all replies welcome. let’s keep it a constructive thread since this is a public health issue i wanna bring up in the open
My thoughts: If you have the motivation and willpower to implement this system, then you’ve got MORE than enough willpower and motivation to cut down on your screentime without using a customized software solution.
In other words, just do it.
Set an alarm or timer on the phone. When it goes off, you pick a task from your to-do list and accomplish it. Maybe clean the house, go for a walk, attend to an errand. Be in the moment, listen to music, pause to ask how people are doing. Find a dog to pet.
Reconnect.
Then, go back to doom scrolling. But this time, instead of diving right in, make it a point to watch a video or read an article about something that interests you, something that you might enjoy doing yourself. Maybe it’s 3d printing, or flying drones, or welding. Something that is achievable, that you always wanted to do. You don’t have to take up this hobby - but maybe your new hobby is researching hobbies. Seeing what other things, besides staring at a screen, might capture your attention.
And, oops, there’s your alarm again! Has it been four hours already?! Time to do some stretching and pushups. Text a loved one. Hug a tree.
Etc, etc.
Your screentime is a lifestyle choice, and an addictive one. The solution is getting your brain’s pleasure center rewired.