Frequent phone checking linked to strain more than screen time

Repeatedly returning to a phone may be more burdensome than the total amount of screen time, according to research reported by Yle. The study found no particularly strong link between people’s perceived strain and the amount of time they spent looking at screens.

The research, led by Henrik Lassila, a doctoral researcher at Aalto University, tracked the phone and computer use of 277 people for seven months. The data covered hundreds of thousands of hours of smartphone use.

On average, participants used their phones for about two and a half hours a day and spent a total of three and a half hours a day on phones and computers. They spent about two hours a day using apps, mainly for games, social media, entertainment and messaging.

“Screen time itself may not be the most interesting thing, but rather why one has to keep reaching for the phone and whether it harms the rest of life,” said Olli Kiviruusu, a research manager at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.

He said the key issue was balance. Screen time is not necessarily a problem if essential parts of life, such as sleep, exercise, relationships and responsibilities, are being managed. Problems arise when phone use takes time away from those activities.

Constant switching can be burdensome

The study found that phone-related strain was particularly associated with so-called porous use. This means using the phone briefly, putting it away, doing something else and then returning to it a short time later.

According to Lassila, this pattern was specifically linked to phones. A phone can be taken out of a pocket and opened within seconds, while computer use is different.

Previous research has shown that phone notifications and social media apps interrupt other activities, Lassila said. His study also found that strain did not ease on its own. People who were strained remained so throughout the several-month study period.

Three warning signs

Kiviruusu identified three signs that phone use may have become a problem.

First, essential tasks are repeatedly left undone because of the phone. Second, use is difficult to control, such as feeling compelled to retrieve the phone even after putting it away. Third, the balance of life is disrupted, with sleep, exercise or relationships suffering.

He described the phone as a time thief that can take time unnoticed, even when a person does not actually want to use it.

More than 80 percent of young adults say they use smart devices more than they would like. Lassila said algorithms that provide content people want to see may be one reason, while another is using phones to escape stress and watch entertaining videos.

Kiviruusu also pointed to the fear of missing out and the desire to belong and keep up with what is happening.

Responsibility extends beyond individuals

Kiviruusu said the problem was too large to be left to individuals alone. He called for responsibility from technology companies, legislation and wider social pressure to change the culture surrounding smart device use over the long term.