Reducing smartphone screen time may improve consumers’ well-being: Study

*Researchers found that reducing time spent on smartphones over the long term can work to improve consumers’ overall well-being

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Researchers from Ruhr University, in a fresh study, explored how consumers’ smartphone use may affect their health.

The study findings indicated that reducing time spent on smartphones over the long term can work to improve consumers’ overall well-being.

Researcher Julia Brailovskaia said: “The smartphone is both a blessing and a curse.

“It’s not necessary to completely give up the smartphone to feel better. There may be an optimal daily usage time.”

Exploring the limiting of smartphone use in the study, the researchers divided over 600 participants into three groups for the study.

A group of participants didn’t use their phones at all for one week, a second group reduced their smartphone use by one hour each day, and a third group didn’t change their behaviour with their phones.

The researchers then interviewed the participants one month and four months later to learn about their lifestyles, mental health, and their life satisfaction.

Ultimately, the researchers noted that they learned cutting back on time spent on smartphones was beneficial.

The participants reported less anxiety and depression symptoms and an overall healthier lifestyle, said the experts.

Spending less time on smartphones also led to more physical activity and less cigarette smoking, they stated.

Brailovskaia also said: “We found that both completely giving up the smartphone and reducing its daily use by one hour had positive effects on the lifestyle and well-being of the participants.

“In the group who reduced use, these effects even lasted longer and were thus more stable than in the abstinence group.”

The researchers further explained that there isn’t a set rule for consumers when it comes to how much time they should spend on their phones.

The study showed that the group that cut back smartphone use by one hour each day during the study had limited their screen time by about 45 minutes within the first four months of the study.

The team hopes consumers understand that they don’t need to stop using their smartphones entirely. Instead, cutting back on smartphone use can help consumers long-term.

Kindly Share This Story