Even as people have embraced the smartphone as one of the most powerful tech products, they are keeping a wary eye on the addictiveness of turning on the device to check for social media updates, read websites and play games. Some studies have tied extended screen time to distraction in classrooms, sleep deprivation and depression.
I, for one, probably have a problem with compulsively picking up my phone. So when Apple announced new software to help people restrict the amount of time they spend on iPhones, I knew I had to test it on myself. I also wanted to try it on a “screenager,” a teenager who is addicted to screens — exactly the kind of person generating so much concern.
Just one problem: I don’t have a child, so I needed to borrow one. Fortunately, my editor gleefully volunteered her 14-year-old, Sophie, to be a test subject. So last month, I lent Sophie an iPhone X loaded with an unfinished version of iOS 12, Apple’s new operating system, that included the Screen Time feature, which is set for release this fall. We set up the account so that I was a parent, with the ability to set limits, and she was my child.
First, a primer on how Screen Time works. The feature, which lives inside the iPhone’s settings, shows a dashboard of data about your iPhone use. You can look at your stats for the day or week, including the amount of time you spent on specific apps and on the phone over all. Inside the dashboard, you can create time limits for specific apps or categories of apps, like social networking or games. When you run out of time with an app, it locks you out.
Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/11/technology/personaltech/apple-iphone-screen-time.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
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