Smartphones are capable of doing a lot, and that means we’re on them all the time. Cutting down screen time is a frequent personal goal for many, and one of the best ways to achieve that goal is by reviewing your phone usage regularly.

Checking screen time lets you see how much you’re using your phone, and which apps demand the highest amounts of your time every day. But does seeing these stats actually inspire you to put down your phone?

How to Check Your Daily Phone Usage

Both Android and iPhone devices have a screen time feature that allows you to check your usage built into their latest iterations. But unless you saw an article about checking smartphone screen time or you frequently explore your phone’s settings after an update, you might have missed this incredibly helpful feature.

As a very brief instruction, you can find screen time stats in the settings section of your Android or iOS device. If you want more detailed information, we’ve got you covered with a guide on how to check screen time on an Android device and how to use Screen Time on an iPhone.

When You Remember to Check, It Usually Helps

In most cases, checking your screen time puts your phone usage in perspective and helps you lower the usage of specific apps, like mobile games or social media. However, you have to actually remember to check.

You can set reminders on your phone to see your daily usage every night, or you can set timers for the apps that seem to be eating up most of your screen time. Both Android and iPhone let you set an allotted amount of time for every app.

For example, if you find yourself scrolling through Instagram way too much, you could give yourself a 30-minute allowance per day. When you hit your daily 30 minutes, your phone lets you know and you can’t open Instagram again until the next day.

If you check your phone usage regularly and build up these systems and reminders to help keep you on track, it’s much easier to limit your screen time. It’s just like pouring yourself a portion of the chip bag rather than bringing the whole bag over to the couch. Everything should be in moderation, including your smartphone screen time.

Does Seeing the Time You Spend on Your Phone Make You Use It Less?

I know I use my phone way more than I want to, but I didn’t even know how embarrassingly high my phone usage was before recently checking Digital Wellbeing on my Android phone. My two biggest time sinks are Netflix and mobile games. Granted, Netflix is often on in the background while I’m doing chores, but still.

Do you feel like seeing your screen time statistics inspires you to put your phone down? Have you set app timers to help you stay on track? Let us know!