"Now we have apps to help us stop using apps. The deterrents are creative. Some apps slow down how quickly we can open others; some block everything except calls and texts until we enter a specific password; some prompt us to reflect on a mantra or take deep, meditative breaths before scrolling on. One shows a little animated tree growing-a tree that dies if we open Instagram."
"I tried these app-restricting apps for years in an attempt to kick my smartphone addiction. Looking at my phone all the time didn't make me happy, but I couldn't seem to stop. I would set a daily limit for my phone usage, and then ignore the notifications telling me I'd reached it. Whatever the barriers, I could always override them or change their settings. Looking at my phone was ultimately my decision; I had to make the right one a thousand times a day."
Smartphone-era convenience has spawned apps designed to curb phone use, offering tactics like slowing app openings, blocking features behind passwords, prompting mindfulness, or gamifying restraint with a virtual tree. These deterrents are inventive but often bypassable, allowing users to ignore limits or change settings. Many who grew up with smartphones find habitual checking persistent and self-regulation difficult; setting limits frequently ends with overriding notifications. Advocacy and school policies aimed at limiting youth phone use arrived too late for the generation raised with constant access. Ultimately, overcoming phone addiction often depends on personal willpower exercised repeatedly throughout the day.
Read at The Atlantic
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