Screen Time is a curious thing: an Apple feature designed to help people be more mindful about using their Apple gadget. First launched in 2018, Screen Time provides daily and weekly reports on how long you’re spending on your iPhone or iPad, broken down by app.
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The problem is that Screen Time—the Apple tool, and the broader fixation—doesn’t seem to help. The main issue is that it flattens phone usage into a single number. “We treat screen time as this unitary experience,” Nicholas Allen, a psychologist at the University of Oregon and the director of its Center for Digital Mental Health, told me. “And of course, it’s an incredibly diverse experience. It can be everything from finding out useful information, to being bullied, to catching up on the news, to watching pornography, to connecting with a friend.”