Improving wellbeing through healthier relationships with technology
Technology shapes every part of life, from focus and rest to the way we connect. At Screen Sense, we explore the science of digital wellbeing, helping you understand your tech use, restore balance and develop healthier digital habits.
Welcome. I hope you enjoy exploring the site and discovering ways to take greater control of your digital life, supported by insights from health psychology and lived digital experience.
— Neal Thompson, MSc Health Psychology — Founder & Former Professional Gamer
By managing screen time, curbing late-night scrolling and making mindful choices, we can feel more energetic, connected and in control of our time and attention.
76% of people believe they spend “too much” time on their phones. Of all the adults surveyed, 40% are spending five or more hours on their phone each day and 20% are spending seven or more. Average screen time is five hours. 74% of people who have tried to reduce their screen time struggle to do so.
BePresentThe amount of time kids’ spend online worried 75% of parents and is the number one worry. Yet, 50% (of parents) said they spent too much time on their own devices, and 66% admit to relying on screens as a bargaining chip to distract children.
nib SurveyWe find that 15% of 15 year olds report using the internet for more than 6 hours per day on a weekday outside of school. Once daily internet use (on weekdays outside of school) exceeds about two hours, we find no positive association of internet use and wellbeing.
Motu Economic and Public Research Policy
Problematic internet use can show up in various ways. Take our free, anonymous self-assessment quiz to see if reducing your screen time could be helpful.
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Stay up to date with the latest media coverage on digital wellbeing from around the world. We bring together important stories about screen time, online behaviour and healthier tech habits.
The latest research on Internet Addiction (IA) and Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). This research highlights the importance of managing screen time.
View video interviews, documentaries, panels and talks that explore screen-time balance — from real-world stories to expert insights.
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Each book offers a different lens on digital wellbeing: whether you’re curious about the brain’s reward system, the impact of social media, or self-regulation in the digital era.
Guest speaker bookings are available at your next event, podcast or webinar on a range of digital wellbeing related topics.
A day of retail therapy can be just the ticket for some people to help them feel better about themselves. But what happens when you can't stop shopping? Surrounded by racks of shirts, dresses and jumpers, Lucy tells me that she could spend up to 14 hours a day searching out new clothes as an escape from reality.
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The aim of this study was to identify problematic gaming behavior among Finnish adolescents and young adults, and evaluate its connection to a variety of psychological, social, and physical health symptoms. This research emphasized that problematic gaming behavior had a strong negative correlation to a variety of subjective health outcomes.
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In the past few years internet addiction (IA) and internet gaming disorder (IGD) have become very frequent, leading to many personality and psychiatric disorders including low self-esteem, impulsivity, poor sleep quality, mood disorder, and suicide. IA has been included in Appendix III of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as IGD. In addition, IA leads to many neuroanatomical and neurochemical alterations including cortical thinning of various components of the brain and altered dopaminergic reward circuitry.
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The amount our kids use technology, including social media, is the number one worry for 70% of New Zealand parents, according to the latest State of the Nation Parenting Survey from NIB. Now get this stat: 50% of parents admit they are addicted to their own devices.
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Although many youth may not be harmed by heavy SMU, distressed youth may be particularly vulnerable. The aim of this study was to experimentally examine the effects of reducing SMU on smartphones on symptoms of depression, anxiety, fear of missing out (FoMO), and sleep in youth with emotional distress. Compared to the control group, the intervention group showed significantly greater reductions in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and FoMO, and greater increases in sleep.
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