I’m using my phone way less, and it’s making me happier - 9to5Google

What the report says

9to5Google published a first-person commentary by Damien Wilde on July 25, 2026, describing his effort to sharply reduce smartphone use after concluding that his screen time had become unhealthy. Wilde, who covers Android and consumer technology, wrote that reviewing his average weekly screen-on-time during work on a Pixel 10 Pro Fold long-term review helped prompt a broader reassessment shortly before Google I/O.

According to Wilde’s account, the first major target was social media. He said Twitter had become an automatic habit before he deleted his account following Elon Musk’s takeover, but he later found himself replacing that behavior with Threads, Instagram, Bluesky and then Reddit. He also criticized Android’s Digital Wellbeing limits as too easy to override, saying they did not create enough friction to meaningfully change his habits.

Wilde said his more effective approach has been to change where and when his phone is available. He keeps social platforms off his phone and accesses them mainly from a computer, stops taking the device into the bathroom, leaves it away from him while watching TV, and charges it across the room at night. He uses alternatives such as a cinema visit for movies, gaming devices for leisure distraction, a Nest Hub for alarms, and a small e-reader for bedtime reading.

The piece is not a reported study, but a personal account of behavior change from a technology writer. Its broader relevance is that it reflects growing concern about compulsive phone use and the difficulty of breaking app-based habits, especially on devices designed around constant engagement.