Comp / Tech I need phone restrictions

Absolute Zero · Jan 30, 2019

Well, not me, but some people might. These days it's easier than ever to get hooked into fun electronic things: mostly the smartphone and video game consoles. Lately there are settings and apps in a lot of gadgets that can restrict the amount of time or the time of day they can be used. You can put an app on your phone that will force itself to close a certain app that's been active for too long that day, or you can program your wifi router to turn itself off during particular hours of the night, and I've played some games (I'm looking at you, A Link Between Worlds and Pokémon Gen 7) that pester you if you're played "too long", and I think parental controls on some consoles can enforce such rules.

Do you ever use these features for yourself, or have them used on you by parents? Do you have the immense self-control to just not use your phone after bedtime, or to play video games for only two hours a day? Or do you voluntarily subject yourself to such enforced restrictions?

Hraesvelgr · Jan 30, 2019

I've never used them, I don't intend to use them, nor have my parents used it on me most likely because it wasn't a thing back then, doubt they'd use them anyway. I don't even have a phone fancy, aka new enough, to download one of those restriction apps.

Moonstruck-Mist · Jan 30, 2019

I don't use them, but it's mainly because I know my limits. I get exhausted easily, and I like my animals more than simple games. I write and play games for... about five hours on the weeks, and almost nine for the weekend. Otherwise, I'm with my animals or family... or friends.

RadEmpoleon · Jan 30, 2019

I really only use my phone to call/text my parents or brother. That’s it.
However, I’m on my ipad often, for school and games/Youtube. I don’t have any kind of restrictions, and I don’t think my parents know about these kinds of restricting things. (They would probably just use it for my brother since he’s always on his computer, but anyway.) My shut-down time for my ipad, which I’ve been enforcing well this month, is no later than 11 pm. (Which I will eventually make earlier and earlier.)

Dawn · Feb 1, 2019

I'm having nightmare flashbacks of when I was only allowed to use the internet for 10 hours a week as a child...and this was DIALUP, so about 80% of that time was spent listening to the screeching tones waiting for the damn thing to connect.

As an adult (hahaha) I've never had any need for restrictions...well, not often. I probably could have used some when I was playing any Monster Hunter game for the first time - it got so bad with Tri that I actually had to give the game to my father to hold onto for me so I'd actually revise for my exams, and I averaged about 10 hours a day on Generations and Generations Ultimate - or Final Fantasy XIV - which I could put 12-16 hours a day into, stopping only for sustenance or to relieve myself - but it's not in my nature to spend longer than a couple of hours doing any one thing on an electronic device; I have too much else to do, and I get bored easily. It's not really self control as much as it is habit.