Setting Your Own Screen Time Goals Could Cut Smartphone Use

The figures on how much of each day we spend looking at our phones make uncomfortable reading. Use naturally varies widely between individuals, but an ‘average’ person might be expected to spend six hours a day on their phone and unlock it twice an hour.

Questions continue over the effects that our constantly present digital companions have on health and well-being. A range of studies and trials is therefore examining how phone use might be controlled – and one of the most effective methods may also be among the most straightforward.

Self-selected screen time goals and smartphone use

Researchers at institutions in India and Spain, writing in Social Science & Medicine, have now found that phone users are more likely to follow screen time limits when they select those limits themselves.

On average, smartphone use decreased more in the self-selected group. (Sachdeva et al., Soc. Sci. Med. , 2026)

“Allowing individuals to choose their own goals may strengthen engagement and support healthier digital behavior,” the researchers write in their published paper.

“Incorporating opportunities for goal-selection may represent a simple addition to digital-health and public-health interventions aimed at helping individuals moderate smartphone use and improve well-being.”

For the 35-day experiment, the team recruited 149 volunteers and divided them into three groups. Fifty-five participants could choose a screen time reduction target of 10, 20, or 30 percent; 62 were assigned a goal of reducing screen time by 14 percent; and the remaining 32 received no target, although their screen time was still tracked.

Everyone who was given a target received the same incentive: a small financial reward for each day on which they met it. Screen time data was recorded automatically on participants’ phones, with monitoring continuing for a further 28 days after the main intervention, but with no incentives during that period.

Choosing a target produced the largest reduction

Participants who set their own goals achieved the strongest results. They cut their screen time by 49 minutes per day on average, versus 23 minutes among those assigned targets. The ‘self-selected’ group also met its daily goals 11 percent more frequently. Average use in the control group instead rose by 11 minutes per day.

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“Reductions in phone use persisted into the post-intervention period in both intervention conditions,” the researchers write. “Participants in the self-selected condition continued to use their phones about 16 minutes less per day than at baseline, while participants in the assigned condition used their phones about 11 minutes less per day than baseline.”

“In contrast, phone use in the control condition was 2 minutes higher than baseline.”

Questionnaire results also associated meeting targets with better well-being scores. However, only 93 people completed this component of the study, and the differences between the self-selected and assigned groups were not statistically significant.

“Although the mental health findings should be interpreted with caution, the direction and magnitude of changes observed here are consistent with the possibility that reducing total smartphone use may be associated with improvements in psychological well-being for some individuals,” the researchers write.

Why personalised screen time targets may help

Before treating global smartphone addiction as solved, it is important to note that the study involved a comparatively small sample and followed participants for a comparatively brief period. Studies involving larger, more varied groups will be required to verify the results.

Even so, the research points to an intriguing possibility: people may have a simple, cost-free means of managing their phone use more effectively.

Related: Screen time in bed may increase insomnia odds, study suggests

The researchers offer several possible explanations. Greater ownership of a goal might improve motivation and commitment, or a personalised target may simply feel more achievable. This too is a question for future research.

“Many people feel they use their phones more than they would like, yet struggle to cut back,” the researchers write. “This study suggests that allowing individuals to set their own goals can support healthier digital habits.”

The research was published in Social Science & Medicine.

This article was fact-checked and edited by Fiona MacDonald. Although we take pride in our process, we are only human. If you notice an error, please let us know.