From screen time to behavior change

Abstract

Smartphones are useful tools for many purposes. However, people often end up in excessive use, lose track of time in social media or watching videos, and suffer from negative effects on well-being, productivity, and mental health. In response, numerous digital well-being applications aim to support users in reducing their screen time. Yet, the practical effectiveness of such apps remains unclear and design elements and psychological mechanisms are underexplored. Based on an exploration of 10 widely used apps, we provide a theory-driven reflection on design elements and incorporated approaches of behavior change (e.g., restriction, self-nudging, boosting, and gamification), and discuss expected short-term and long-term effects. Restrictive mechanisms can initiate short-term change whereas boosting rather strengthens user competences (e.g., self-regulation, mindfulness) and supports sustainable effects. In contrast, gamification can threaten intrinsic motivation and evoke unintended effects. In sum, a hybrid design approach that sequentially combines self-nudging and boosting appears most promising.