Reducing Screen Time
IntermediateTechnology
Two friends chat at a cafe about how much time they spend on their phones and share practical tips for cutting down on screen time.
M
MeiJ
JunM
你知道吗？我昨天看了一下手机的屏幕使用时间，居然有八个小时。
nǐ zhīdào ma? wǒ zuótiān kàn le yíxià shǒujī de píngmù shǐyòng shíjiān, jūrán yǒu bā gè xiǎoshí.
You know what? Yesterday I checked my phone's screen time, and it was actually eight hours.
J
八个小时？那也太多了吧！你都用手机做什么呀？
bā gè xiǎoshí? nà yě tài duō le ba! nǐ dōu yòng shǒujī zuò shénme ya?
Eight hours? That's way too much! What do you even use your phone for?
M
主要是刷短视频、看朋友圈，一刷起来就停不下来。
zhǔyào shì shuā duǎn shìpín, kàn péngyǒuquān, yì shuā qǐlái jiù tíng bù xiàlái.
Mostly scrolling short videos and checking social media—once I start scrolling I just can't stop.
J
我也一样，尤其是晚上躺床上，本来想睡觉，结果一玩又是一个小时。
wǒ yě yíyàng, yóuqí shì wǎnshàng tǎng chuáng shàng, běnlái xiǎng shuìjiào, jiéguǒ yì wán yòu shì yí gè xiǎoshí.
Same here, especially at night lying in bed. I mean to sleep, but once I start playing on it, another hour goes by.
M
对对对！我们真得想想办法，不然眼睛都要看坏了。
duì duì duì! wǒmen zhēn děi xiǎngxiang bànfǎ, bùrán yǎnjīng dōu yào kàn huài le.
Exactly! We really need to figure something out, otherwise we'll ruin our eyes.
J
我最近试了一个方法，晚上把手机放到另一个房间充电。
wǒ zuìjìn shì le yí gè fāngfǎ, wǎnshàng bǎ shǒujī fàng dào lìng yí gè fángjiān chōngdiàn.
I've been trying a method lately—at night I put my phone in another room to charge.
M
这个办法听起来不错，想玩手机还得专门起床，麻烦一点反而管用。
zhège bànfǎ tīng qǐlái búcuò, xiǎng wán shǒujī hái děi zhuānmén qǐchuáng, máfan yìdiǎn fǎn'ér guǎnyòng.
That method sounds pretty good—if you want to play on your phone you have to get up specially, so being a bit inconvenient actually works.
J
对，我还给那些最容易上瘾的App都设了使用时间限制。
duì, wǒ hái gěi nàxiē zuì róngyì shàngyǐn de App dōu shè le shǐyòng shíjiān xiànzhì.
Right, and I also set a usage time limit on all the apps that are most addictive.
M
这个功能我也知道，但时间一到，我总忍不住点“再玩十五分钟”。
zhège gōngnéng wǒ yě zhīdào, dàn shíjiān yí dào, wǒ zǒng rěn bù zhù diǎn "zài wán shíwǔ fēnzhōng".
I know that feature too, but the moment time's up, I always can't help tapping "play for 15 more minutes."
J
哈哈，那你得找点别的事做，比如运动或者看书，把注意力转移一下。
hāhā, nà nǐ děi zhǎo diǎn bié de shì zuò, bǐrú yùndòng huòzhě kànshū, bǎ zhùyìlì zhuǎnyí yíxià.
Haha, then you need to find something else to do, like exercising or reading, to shift your attention.
M
你说得对。要不我们互相监督，规定每天最多用三个小时，怎么样？
nǐ shuō de duì. yàobù wǒmen hùxiāng jiāndū, guīdìng měitiān zuìduō yòng sān gè xiǎoshí, zěnmeyàng?
You're right. How about we keep each other in check—set a rule of using our phones at most three hours a day?
J
好主意！那就从今天开始，谁超时了就请对方喝咖啡，成交！
hǎo zhǔyì! nà jiù cóng jīntiān kāishǐ, shéi chāoshí le jiù qǐng duìfāng hē kāfēi, chéngjiāo!
Great idea! Then starting today, whoever goes over time treats the other to coffee—deal!