In summary Hanne Lotta Askeland (18), Julian Minck (19), Alma Apenteng (23) and Hanna Rosland have a New Year’s resolution to spend less time on social media. A third of 3,500 students at secondary schools in Bergen answered in 2021 that they want to reduce the use of social media. Apps are designed to make us spend a lot of time in there, according to psychologist Jens Christoffer Skogen. Skogen recommends becoming more aware of what you do when you are on your mobile, rather than just thinking that you should cut down on screen time. 96 per cent of the population in Norway has their own mobile phone, and the mobile phone has become an extension of the human being. None of the young people think it will be easy to keep the New Year’s resolution to spend less time on the mobile phone. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – It’s about being more present and appreciating the time here and now, says Hanne Lotta Askeland (18). She is in her final year of secondary school. In her spare time, she is often on apps such as TikTok and Snapchat. Then time can fly, and suddenly several hours have passed. She and her friend Julian Minck (19) both have New Year’s resolutions that involve spending less time on social media – or some – on their mobile phones. – I can have four to six hours of screen time a day, it’s a bit crazy, says Minck. But while some apps provide inspiration and are absolutely necessary to function in everyday life, it is the mindless scrolling that they want for life. They are not alone in that. Julian Minck can spend between four and six hours a day on his mobile phone. He mainly spends his time on social media, but also on more practical apps such as Finn.no. Time Thief Psychologist Jens Christoffer Skogen has done a lot of research on youth and social media. Together with colleagues in the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Bergen municipality and Vestland county municipality, he asked about 3,500 students at secondary schools in Bergen about their relationship with some. It then emerged that approximately one third wanted to reduce their use. Almost half agreed that they spend too much time on such apps. The survey “Life on SoMe” The survey was carried out at secondary schools in Bergen in 2020/2021 by the Institute of Public Health in connection with the innovation project “Health-promoting environment on social media”, managed by Bergen municipality. 3,500 pupils answered around 100 questions. Some of the main findings: About 33% of young people want to reduce the use of SoMe. About 43% agree that they spend too much time on SoMe. Approximately 76% of young people say their mobile phone is available, even after they have gone to bed. The researchers in the project have created the learning resource Ung på some which will help young people to have a more conscious relationship with life on mobile phones and social media. Source: Jens Christoffer Skogen, FHI – It is particularly difficult for young people today who have grown up with mobile phones to cut down on their use, because a large part of their social life takes place there, says Skogen. For Alma Apenteng (23), there is a lot going on in Netflix on her mobile in the evening. – I could have spent that time reading a book. Alma Apenteng’s New Year’s resolution is to read more books. It also means that she wants to cut down on her screen time. Photo: Oda Flaten Lødemel In the last week, she has used her mobile phone for an average of 2 hours and 45 minutes a day. It is quite average, according to figures from the Media Barometer. Norwegians spend approximately two and a half hours on their mobile phones on an average day. The biggest time stealers for Alma outside of Netflix, are in the likes of Hanne Lotta and Julian, social mediums. Student Hanna Rosland (22) says the same. She is one of those who usually set what she calls boring New Year’s resolutions. Like exercising more and eating healthier. – It’s the moments with friends that I come to think about, not all the hours on TikTok, says Rosland. She makes time for a chat during her break at work. – It’s quick entertainment that doesn’t give me much in the long run. As soon as I’m with friends, my screen time goes down. Then I feel better about myself. In the new year, she wants to spend her time differently. She wants to spend more time with friends, cook dinners and do nice things, be in the moment. But apps like TikTok make it easy to get “dragged in” and lose the perspective of time entirely, she thinks. Working uphill It’s not so strange. Appane is rigged to make us spend a lot of time in there, says psychologist Jens Christoffer Skogen. Nothing new there. Earlier this year, one of America’s health leaders, Vivek Murthy, came out and said that social media pose a major risk to the mental health of children and young people. – The whole system is managed in such a way that it is difficult for us as individuals to regulate the time we spend in there on our own. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but we’re working uphill, says Skogen. For several years, former employees of the major technology companies in Silicon Valley have warned that the apps are designed to make us dependent on them. Among other things, the documentary The social dilemma, which came out in 2020, ignited the debate about whether social media is harmful for us or not. Photo: Beate Oma Dahle He explains that producers often use two different strategies to keep our attention: an engaging and a controlling strategy. The engaging strategy is the one that means that Hanne Lotta, Julian, Alma and Hanne can sit and scroll for a while, without necessarily getting anything special in return for it. – Elements from computer games are used to engage us, in that we are paid for spending a lot of time in the app. Snapchat’s snapstreak is a good example of that. In addition, the producers use tools such that content is played automatically without us having to lift a finger. – And when you first put down the mobile phone, there is often a notification that makes it easy to pick it up again, he adds. Psychologist and senior researcher at the Institute of Public Health, Jens Christoffer Skogen, also sits on the government’s Screen Use Committee, which looks at screen use and health and well-being among young people up to 19 years of age. Photo: Privat At the bottom of this issue, you will get the experts’ best tips for cutting down on scrolling. An extension of man At the same time, Skogen is busy not painting the picture black. After all, we have to function in everyday life where the mobile phone plays a big role. Buying bus tickets, checking timetables, shopping, finding your way around – everything happens there. It’s more about becoming aware of what you’re doing when you’re on your mobile, rather than just thinking that you should cut down on screen time, he advises. As much as 96 percent of the population in Norway has their own mobile phone. – The mobile phone has in many ways become an extension of the human being. Cutting him out completely will be very difficult, says Skogen. – And typical of New Year’s resolutions is that you go hard at the start, before it wears off, he adds. But there is good advice. The experts’ tips for cutting down on scrolling Makes the screen black/white. It can make using the app less appealing. Turn off notifications as much as you can. Replace mindless scrolling with something else that is meaningful to you. For example, reading a book, listening to music, going for a walk or calling someone. Keep track of how much time you spend on the various apps on your mobile. It can make it easier to set specific goals for time use. Get more people with you and let it be a sport if they manage to keep the goal of time spent on the various apps. Prioritize what you want to use your screen time for: update yourself on what is happening in the world, keep in touch with friends, or get inspiration and entertainment. What is important to you? Source: psychologist and senior researcher Jens Christoffer Skogen, UiB, and professor Dag Svanæs, NTNU. Not easy Back in Bergen, none of the people we spoke to think it will be easy to keep the New Year’s resolution. The mobile is there, available, all the time. – It’s so easy to pick him up, it’s very automatic, says Alma Apenteng. The fact that the mobile phone is available all the time makes it extra difficult to cut back on screen time. Photo: Oda Flaten Lødemel At the same time, they see a lot of good in having the world available in their pocket, all the time. – I also get a lot of inspiration. But if it gives more flavor to cut the scrolling, then I will continue with it, says Hanne Rosland.
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New Year’s resolution to spend less time on social media – news Vestland
