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NEW YORK – Apple and Google want to help you spend less time on their phones – really. Like this time, you checked Facebook at 3am. Statistics do not lie.
Their new screen time management tools will allow you to see how often you picked up the phone after bedtime or how long you have been on Instagram at work. Apple's tools also allow you to control how much time your kids spend on their devices, if you're worried that screens will take time to sleep, do homework or exercise.
Apple's tools are part of the free iOS 12 update for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Google controls are tested on its Pixel brand Android phones.
Here's how the commands work.
FOR KIDS
Apple's new Apple orders allow you to manage their time on their own devices, such as an iPad or iPhone. Once you've set them up, you can use your iPhone to check when your kids are on their devices and what apps or websites they use. You can restrict certain classes of applications and even establish a period of silence when most applications are closed.
The latter feature "downtime" is promising, although it has some shortcomings. On the one hand, it allows you to choose a single block of time during the day. If you block late hours, you can not set a separate time off for class hours. In addition, your selection applies seven days a week. you can not set different times for weekends unless you want to manually change the settings every Friday and Monday.
A new "Screen Time" feature allows you to set deadlines for categories of apps, such as entertainment or games. In this case, the limits may be different at weekends. You can also set limits by application or for specific websites, but it's difficult. In the screen time settings, tap the chart at the top to get a list of apps and websites. Tap an app or site and search for "Add Limit" at the bottom.
Songs or podcasts in the background are not taken into account in the limits. If your child has both an iPhone and an iPad, Screen Time can track the time spent on both devices against your limits.
When applications run out of time, their icons become dark and applications do not send notifications. You can exempt useful applications, such as ebooks or homework sites, or e-mail and phone services in case of emergency, from the limits of downtime.
It's best to set it all up from your own device using Apple's "Family Sharing" feature, though Apple also lets you set limits directly on your kids' devices. Anyway, you will need a password specific to Screen Time. Make sure you choose another one that your child already knows.
Children may ask for more time with a few strokes. If you ignore or refuse the request, Screen Time is not supposed to let them ask. But for now, kids can simply reopen the application to ask you another query. Get ready for a digital version of "Are we still here? Are we here already? "
Apple already had parental controls to block R-rated movies, adult websites and podcasts with explicit language, but the settings were buried. In iOS 12, they are part of Screen Time. You will need to activate them manually or your child will still be able to watch R and NC-17 movies.
What you will not get from Apple is to help determine the types of boundaries to set. In fact, the clock is initially set to zero, forcing parents to make choices from the start instead of working from the default limits. Apple says the experts' recommendations vary.
In the end, it's best to have a conversation with your kids about the time spent in front of a screen. But blocking software in an app may be easier than removing a device from a child's hands.
FOR ADULTS
You can set the same limits for your own device, but this requires self-discipline. Want more Instagram? No problem – just tap for more time. If you really need help, ask a friend to set this password and keep it secret.
Google has similar controls, called Digital Wellbeing, but they are intended for adults (among other things, there is no password, which limits their usefulness to set limits for children). This feature is currently only available on the company's Pixel phones, but Google plans to make it more widely available in an upcoming Android update called Pie.
Everything on the screen
Another Android feature will allow you to recover the color of your screen after a certain time. This option, called "Grayscale," turns everything into monochrome, making applications – and, in fact, the entire phone to some extent – less appealing, which no doubt eases the removal of the phone. Apple's setting is similar, although it is buried in the accessibility settings for disabled users.
Google and Apple features also allow you to rotate your screen during set times. This reduces blue light, which can suppress melatonin and make it more difficult to sleep.
In the end, it comes down to priority and discipline. At most, these tools can push you in the right direction.
Copyright 2018 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, disseminated, rewritten or redistributed.
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