Screen time and mental health

Our phones and laptops have become woven into almost everything we do, from work to connection to entertainment. It's worth pausing to notice how that constant presence is actually affecting how we feel.

What it is

Screen time refers to the hours spent on phones, computers, tablets and televisions each day. Research on screen time and mental health is nuanced: it's not simply that more screen time equals worse wellbeing. What seems to matter more is the type of use (passive scrolling versus active connection or creation), what the screen time is replacing (sleep, exercise, face-to-face time), and how it makes you feel while and after you use it.

Signs to notice

• Reaching for your phone automatically, without a clear reason, many times a day.
• Feeling more anxious, low or drained after time on your phone than before.
• Screen use cutting into sleep, exercise, meals or time with people you care about.
• Difficulty concentrating on a task without checking your phone.
• Feeling restless or irritable when you don't have access to your device.

What helps

• Notice the difference between screen use that leaves you feeling connected or informed, and use that leaves you feeling worse - then adjust accordingly.
• Set specific screen-free times, such as during meals, the first hour after waking, or the last hour before bed.
• Turn off notifications that aren't truly urgent, so you're choosing to check your phone rather than being pulled to it.
• Keep your phone out of the bedroom, or at least out of arm's reach at night.
• Make space for offline activities that genuinely restore you - movement, time outdoors, hobbies, conversation.
• Try a regular digital check-in with yourself: after using an app, ask "how do I feel right now?" and let the answer guide your habits.
• Consider using your phone's built-in screen time tools to get an honest picture of your actual usage, since our sense of how much time we spend on screens is often quite different from reality.

When to reach out for help

If screen use feels compulsive, is worsening anxiety or low mood, or is replacing sleep and relationships in a way that concerns you or people close to you, it's worth talking to someone. This is especially true if attempts to cut back feel surprisingly difficult.

Getting help in South Africa

Your Cleared Mind EAP counsellor can help you explore your relationship with technology and build healthier digital habits. SADAG's Mental Health Line (011 234 4837) is available if screen use is tied to anxiety, low mood or isolation.