Kicking Your iPhone Addiction

Living in a world that revolves around technology, it is very common to be addicted to your iPhone.

Time Magazine’s Techland Section conducted an international poll, and found that the majority of the people around the world are also attached to their smart phones.

– 84 percent of respondents said that they could not go a single day without their cell phones.

– 50 percent of Americans sleep with their phone next to them like a teddy bear or a spouse, a number that includes more than 80 percent of 18-24 year olds.

– 20 percent of respondents check their phone every 10 minutes.

If you are finding yourself glued to your phone, rather than engaging in the real world, it may be time to take a step back.

Here are some tips to kick the smartphone addiction:

1. Don’t use your phone as an alarm clock. Set a real alarm. Having your phone by your bedside can be a temptation to check it.

2. No devices at meals. This is time to engage with your family and friends, and is the perfect opportunity to break free from your smartphone.

Freshman, Olivia Tremonti said, “I’m actually glad parents have a rule that I can’t go on my phone during meals, because it forces me to take a break from technology and have a real conversation.”

3. Don’t deal with your phone as you go to bed.   Researchers have found that the lights on electronics prevents our brains from knowing that it is nighttime, which means that it takes longer to fall asleep.  

     “My dad used to make me and my sister give him our phones at ten o’clock every night, so that we wouldn’t stay up late and would go to bed without distractions,” said Sophomore, Emily Abdoney.

4. Remove excess apps. By narrowing down the amount of apps, you won’t feel the need to check your phone every three minutes, and you won’t get notifications from apps that waste your time. 

5. Turn off (or customize) notifications. Turning off notifications is one of the best ways to free yourself from distractions on your phone, but if you can’t live without them, you can customize them for only the important people or apps.

6. Turn on Airplane Mode. This is a hard one for most people, but it’s a great way to condition yourself to a life less cluttered with phone time. 

Junior, Kenna Weathers said, “I always turn on airplane mode when I want to get my homework done. My friends find it annoying becuase they can’t contact me, but I work so much faster without distractions.”