You might be surprised to learn that Apple actually wants your screen time to go down.
Famous for inventing some of the most addictive technology the world has ever seen, Apple CEO Time Cook has stated he doesnāt want people using their devices ātoo muchā.
Recent studies show that the average person spends around 6 hours and 37 minutes a day looking at a screen.
This is up 49 minutes since 2013 and accounts for about 30% of your day.
Itās no secret that too much screen time has a negative effect on humans, with excessive screen use being linked to sleep deprivation, obesity, delayed learning in children, and even type 2 diabetes.
While it may feel like tech giants donāt take this into consideration when designing their compelling software and gadgets, Cook doesnāt want his customerās screen time to continuously go up.
āWeāre not incentivized for that,ā he said.
āWe try to get people tools in order to help them put the phone down.ā
One of the tools he swears by is Screen Time, the weekly report that shows users exactly how much time they spent on each of their phoneās apps that week.
āMy philosophy is, if youāre looking at the phone more than youāre looking in somebodyās eyes, youāre doing the wrong thing,ā says Cook.Ā
Appleās Screen Time feature also allows users to place limits on device usage, downloads and content ā a function increasingly sought out by parents in the digital age.
āKids are born digital, theyāre digital kids now,ā Cook continued.Ā
āAnd it is, I think, really important to set some hard rails around it.ā
Itās unusual for a Big Tech CEO to encourage customers to spend less time with their products, even going so far as to create the Screen Time function.
But Cook is famous for his out-of-the-ordinary approach to life, which has helped solidify Appleās place as one of the most innovative tech companies ever created.
āWe didnāt make the phone so youāll use it all the time,ā he explained.Ā
āWe made the phone to make your life better.ā