Tired of wasting hours in front of your phone, tablet or computer? Do you want to regain control by 2025, but you can't do it? Don't panic, you are not alone. According to the government's MILDECA/Harris barometer, nearly one in two French people admit to spending more time than they would like on screens.
To help you optimize your time and free yourself from this digital influence, we interviewed Juliette Hazart, addictologist doctor, speaker and author of the book My teenager is addicted to social media (De Boeck Supérieur). Here are his 5 practical tips for reducing and controlling your screen time.
1. Turn off notifications
Are you afraid of missing crucial information or an unmissable event, and this pushes you to stay constantly connected?
The specialist recommends a simple solution: turn off your notifications. “Perhaps by establishing two, three, or even four times a day to consult them, it's reassuring, but it prevents you from being constantly solicited. » This method reduces the compulsive urge to check your phone and calms the mind.
2. Replace screens with other sources of dopamine
Your addiction to social media is often linked to a quest for social validation and recognition. “When we receive likes or comments, this activates the reward circuit in the brain, which releases dopamine and pushes us to return again and again and again to the social network,” explains Juliette Hazart.
The solution? Find activities that give you pleasure in a different way: sport, cooking, creative hobbies, or outings. Cultivating pleasure in other areas will help you gradually let go.
3. Practice conscious use of your phone
Paradoxically, using your phone with intention can help you reduce your screen time. The expert advises “When I unlock my phone, I only focus on what I'm doing: the feeling of my finger on the screen, the notifications, the content I'm viewing, without doing anything else. » This conscious time deconditions automatic behavior and reduces addiction to screens. To practice once or twice a day to take a first step towards detachment.
4. Take a moment to think before opening an application
Why do you pick up your phone or tablet? Why do you feel the need to open this app? These are the types of questions that Juliette Hazart, addictologist, invites you to ask yourself. According to her, tools like blocking or time-limiting applications, which impose a moment of pause before opening an application, can be very effective.
“App blockers and time limiters promote more mindful use by interrupting the automatic behaviors that cause us to spend hours on our screens without realizing it,” she explains.
She also advises establishing a little reflection ritual: “Take a deep breath and ask yourself why you want to use your phone. Then, after use, ask yourself this question: Did my use meet my initial need, or did I get caught up in it? »
This simple habit can go a long way in helping you regain control of your screen time.
5. Install phone-free zones
Certain rooms in your house should be 100% disconnected spaces: the bedroom, the dining table or even the toilet.
“Creating zones of voluntary disconnection in certain places helps you reconnect with your loved ones and with yourself,” says the addictologist. This also promotes better sleep: cut off screens at least an hour before sleeping to avoid disturbances due to blue light. This will protect your mental and physical health. What if these tips aren't enough? You can consult a health professional, recalls Juliette Hazart. “Excessive use may not have major consequences, while addiction is characterized by a loss of control and negative repercussions on health or social life, despite awareness of the harmful effects. » she adds. So don’t hesitate to ask for help! With these tips, try to make your year 2025 a more serene year and above all less dependent on screens.
