Media Balance & Well-Being

What is a healthy amount of time to spend online? 

• The answer to this question depends on a lot of things, including what you are doing online. 

• Passive activities like scrolling your social media feed or watching television should be more limited. 

• Creative and engaging activities like content creation, puzzles, coding, reading, and healthy/respectful socializing are ok to spend a little more time on. 

• No matter what you do online, you should still spend time engaging with others in person, outside in nature, and exercising. Don’t forget to get enough sleep too (8-10 hours is a solid goal). 

How can I determine what is a healthy balance for me? 

• Start by prioritizing your activities. 

  • Do you have work/homework to do online?

  • How much time have you spent with your family and friends this week? 

• Use this media choices inventory to take stock of how you are feeling while online. Use this information to make future decisions about your media use going forward. 

  • • Are you bored? Happy? Lonely? Stressed? 

    • Decide if you need a break based on your emotions. 

• Create some guidelines for media use for yourself based on your priorities and emotions. 

Are there any tools to help me? 

• Do Not Disturb settings on your phone/tablet block notifications during times you want to stay off technology (ex. while you’re sleeping or at school). 

• iPhone screen time features allow you to set time limits on certain apps, helping you to balance your own screen time (ex. limiting time on social media to an hour per weekday). 

• Pomodoro timers can help you set aside time to take breaks along with time to focus on tasks that you choose.