Last month, I wrote a blog titled Have Your Phone When You Open This, where I invited you to do one tiny thing related to your phone to help you reduce unwanted time spent on it. I said, “Maybe you want to throw all your apps in a bin, delete an app that is absorbing too much of your attention, or download an app you have been curious about, like one that helps identify plants or bird sounds.”
I encouraged people to share with youth in their lives whatever small change they made and to share with me as well so that I could share with you! And that is what I am doing today.
I received some stellar responses. Here are a few examples people shared with me:
“Turning the iPhone to greyscale is a multi-step process:
To use the color filter/greyscale option as a “back tap” shortcut:
Tap the back of your phone twice (or thrice) and greyscale is now on (or off)!”
One final thing. When I suggested we all do this on the same day last month, the term “Phone Mob” popped into my head. That concept (which I have not even bothered to Google to see if it exists) stemmed from my past love of “Flash Mob” dances. Do you recall those Flash Mob days? If you want to take a trip down memory lane, and see a Flash Mob that my family and I organized while living in India some years ago, click here. And a big and beautiful shoutout to all the kids who participated!
Questions to get the conversation started:
Last month, I wrote a blog titled Have Your Phone When You Open This, where I invited you to do one tiny thing related to your phone to help you reduce unwanted time spent on it. I said, “Maybe you want to throw all your apps in a bin, delete an app that is absorbing too much of your attention, or download an app you have been curious about, like one that helps identify plants or bird sounds.”
I encouraged people to share with youth in their lives whatever small change they made and to share with me as well so that I could share with you! And that is what I am doing today.
I received some stellar responses. Here are a few examples people shared with me:
I bet there is one thing (at least) about your phone that you have been meaning to do, and yet you have not taken the time to do it. Yes? I just got another alert from the social media app, BeReal. I downloaded it with my kids a while back to learn about it. I don’t use it. Instead, I have been repeatedly irked whenever it pings me (it does that even with notifications turned off). I keep saying to myself, "Oh, yes, I have to delete that.” And then I never do. SO RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT, I am inviting you to do one tiny thing (yep, right now) …
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