screentime
Latest
Google’s new apps are about reining in screen time
Back at I/O 2018, Google introduced Digital Wellbeing, a feature in Android that the company designed to help users manage their smartphone usage. Today Google has introduced five new apps -- called Unlock Clock, Post Box, We Flip, Desert Island and Morph -- that complement the platform in trying to get you to look at your phone less.
How to manage your child’s screen time
In an age when we all have a tiny computer in our pockets, it's important that we learn to limit screen time in favor of actual human interaction and productivity. It's even more essential that we limit media consumption for children, especially since they're being exposed to things like phones and tablets at an increasingly younger age. Those devices are part of kids' lives earlier than ever, so it's important to keep tabs on how often they use them or watch TV. There are a number of reasons why you should do this as a parent, and, ironically, there's also a range of tech available to help with the task.
Apple may bring Siri Shortcuts and Screen Time to macOS
Details on what Apple may have in store for the next major versions of its operating systems are trickling out ahead of June's Worldwide Developers Conference. The latest leaks are linked to macOS 10.15, to which Apple could add some iOS features, such as Siri Shortcuts and Screen Time, according to 9to5 Mac.
ActionDash brings 'digital well being' tracking to more Android phones
Late last year Google released a Digital Wellbeing app that surfaced insights about exactly how much you're using your phone, and in which apps. Apple installed a similar feature in iOS 12 with Screen Time, but on Android, Google's app only works with a few phones running Android P. For everyone else, there's now another option -- ActionDash, a free app from the developer of Action Launcher and Tweet Lanes. It keeps a record of everything from screen time, to which apps were opened and how many notifications were delivered.
Japan thinks smartphones are destroying students’ eyesight
The eyesight of Japan's students is deteriorating and the country's government thinks smartphones are to blame. A recent survey conducted by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology found that the number of students with vision below the standard 1.0 score (equivalent to 20/20 vision) is at an all-time high of 25.3 percent. Worse still, just over 67 percent of high school students and more than 34 percent of elementary students didn't meet the bar. The government is attributing the trend to "increased time spent staring at [smartphone] screens...and mobile games."
Google adds screen time management to Chromebooks
When Google brought its Family Link parental controls to Chromebook, they weren't all that useful because there were limited options available. Now, Google is offering parents more tools to supervise how their offspring use their laptops.
Google rolls out Digital Wellbeing tools for Android
Earlier this year during its I/O conference, Google announced new tools to help users manage their screen time. Now, it's rolling out Digital Wellbeing to Google Pixel phones and Android One devices with Android 9 Pie. Digital Wellbeing gives Android users a look at how much time they've spent on apps as well as how often they've unlocked their phones and how many notifications they've received. It also offers the ability to set time limits on app usage. Additionally, with Wind Down users can limit what notifications come through during a certain time period and have the option of switching their screens to grayscale.
Bumble adds a 'Snooze' feature to encourage digital detox
More and more app developers are recognizing that sometimes, it's good to take a break from your phone and other devices. Bumble is the latest company to take part in this trend. The dating, networking and friendship set of apps now offers a "Snooze" mode, which allows you to take a break for a day, three days, a week or indefinitely.
Apple's iOS 12 beta is driving everyone crazy
Apple promised a lot of bells and whistles with its iOS 12 update -- better performance, grouped notifications and the coveted Pixar-like Memojis, for example -- but its pre-launch spiel never mentioned the surprise feature everyone on the public beta is talking about today. Thanks to, presumably, a bug, iPhones are showing update notifications every time you unlock your phone, without an option to actually install the update.
YouTube adds watch time totals to its digital wellness features
In May, Google announced new features for Android P and YouTube that would help users better manage their screen time. And today, the company has announced an additional feature that will help people get a better grasp of just how much YouTube they watch. In a blog post today, Google described a new profile that will show you how long you've spent watching YouTube videos today, yesterday and in the past seven days as well as your daily average.
Even teens are worried about how much they use their smartphones
Today, the Pew Research Center released a new report on teenagers and screen time. Specifically, 54 percent of teens (aged 13 to 17) worry that they spend too much time on their cell phones. Around two thirds of parents feel their teens have too much screen time.
Facebook and Instagram test a 'do not disturb' feature
Instagram and Facebook are both testing Do Not Disturb features, TechCrunch reports, meaning users could soon have more control over when they receive notifications from either app. WhatsApp Beta and Matt Navarra first spotted the features. Some Engadget staff have also noticed the Do Not Disturb feature on their Facebook apps and it allows you to activate the feature for a certain time frame or until you decide to turn it off. The features come as both Google and Apple have announced their operating systems will soon give users Do Not Disturb options. In May, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom tweeted that usage stats were also in the works. "We're building tools that will help the IG community know more about the time they spend on Instagram - any time should be positive and intentional," he wrote.
Facebook will soon let you know how much time you spend 'socializing'
Facebook is developing a feature that will let you know how much time you spend on it. Developer Jane Manchun Wong found an unreleased tool deep in the code for the platform's Android app called "Your Time On Facebook" which shows how much time, on average, you spend on it every day, along with the total time you've spent on it in the last week.
Instagram will show how much time you waste looking at food porn
Google's new digital well-being initiative is aimed at making sure you spend more time with friends and family instead of your screens. Android and YouTube will soon include things like usage stats and notification reductions to make tearing yourself away from your phone easier. Now Instagram is planning something similar. TechCrunch found code inside the Android app that refers to a "Usage Insights" feature that will show you the time you spend swiping through all those square photos. Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom has confirmed the upcoming feature with a tweet that said, "It's true."
Google reportedly plans Android tools to help you manage screen time
Google keeps dropping announcements ahead of tomorrow's I/O event, including bringing more Assistant features to Wear OS, new web site mute features in Chrome, Google Pay to the web and supporting even more devices with Google Assistant. Now, according to a report in the Washington Post, Google will be announcing more controls for its Android operating system that will help individuals manage the time they spend on mobile devices.
Verizon adds location tracking to its parental control app
Verizon announced today that it's revamping its parental controls, introducing more capabilities and giving the app a new look. What was known as FamilyBase will now be called Verizon Smart Family and it lets parents set content filters, manage screen time, pause internet access, check the battery status of their kids' phones and get a summary of their children's call and text history. Among the new tools are the ability to block certain apps and location tracking, which can provide alerts when a child enters a predetermined area, like when they come home or get to school, for example.
Parenting Tip: Limit screen time using Kaboom App Timer
Limiting screen time is a challenge for any parent. It's easy to hand an iPad to your kids and even easier to get distracted and forget to take it away. One way to move that responsibility away from your forgetful self and onto the device is using the Kaboom App Timer. As its name implies, Kaboom is a timer that runs in the background while your child plays with your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. Kaboom has two timers -- one called Play and one called Rest. Play is the amount of time you want your child to use the device, and rest is the amount of time the device is not accessible to play. Each timer is based in minutes / hours and can be set for as little as five minutes or as long as 24 hours. Unfortunately, there is no clock option so you can't set the device for play time from say 8:00 - 10:00 AM and rest for the remainder of the day. Before you can use Kaboom, you have to set up the alerts in settings > notifications and change the alert type from banners to screen alerts. Once that is done, you can open Kaboom, set the play and rest timers and let your child enjoy some time with your iOS device. When their play time is up, a screen and sound alert will let your child know it is time to take a rest. During rest time, the app disables your device by sending a screen alert every time your child moves away from the Kaboom app. These alerts have a Close and OK button. Pressing Close will send a continuous stream of alerts to the device, while pressing OK will bring your child back to the Kaboom app and put a stop to the alerts. These constant, nagging alerts make it difficult, if not impossible, for your child to use the device during rest time. Of course, savvy children will learn very quickly that they can just turn off the timer in the Kaboom app to stop the nagging alerts. Thankfully, a parental lock feature prevents kids from making any changes without typing in a passcode. If they are determined, a child can fight their way through the stream of alerts and turn off notifications in the settings. Hopefully, an attentive parent will notice this flurry of alerts and intervene to take the iPad, iPhone or iPod touch away. Kaboom - App timer is available in the iOS App store for US$0.99. It's well worth the dollar to help you control your children's time in front of the screen.
Shocker! Kids spending too much time in front of TV screens, too little in loving parents' embrace
Not that anyone really needed to have this spelled out, but America's tots are apparently spending too much time in front of the telly tubes. The latest study, conducted by the Seattle Children's Research Institute and the University of Washington, finds that children under the age of five are spending 4.1 hours of each day watching movies or TV, doubling the recommended maximum of two hours a day. Whether you take the slightly arbitrary two-hour RDA to heart or not, it's undeniable that all of us -- not just the young 'uns -- are spending increasingly larger chunks of our time looking at the world through a screen and not through our own retinas. And, if you want an extra topping of alarmist extrapolation, these figures come from a research sample concluded in 2006, today's better-equipped toddlers are very likely to outdo those numbers when mobile devices and the like are factored in. Imagine how bad this would all be if the US didn't have so much quality programming to entertain and educate them with.
