BePresent

💡 Watch our Founder & CEO Jack Winston discuss his thoughts on Tech Addiction, its impact on the youth mental health crisis and workplace productivity, and how BePresent is leading the way in solutions!

Great to see schools across the nation embracing the #BePresent movement! https://lnkd.in/eFxwDEQi

📣 Excited that BePresent's 2024 Digital Wellness Report was featured in Fitt Insider! Our complicated relationship with technology is on everyone's mind. With recent headlines like the US Surgeon General recommending warning labels on social media, to Jonathan Haidt's book The Anxious Generation topping bestseller lists, we're reaching an inflection point of awareness that this is a true public health crisis. Most of us know that too much screen time has negative effects on our mental health, mood, and lifestyle. We commissioned the BePresent Digital Wellness Report to better understand current usage patterns, emotional responses, and mental health impacts of tech usage. Who is dealing with phone addiction the most? And what impact is that having on their lives? Key Findings: - 76% of people believe they spend “too much” time on their phones - 73% of people believe their phones have a negative impact on their mental health - Gen Z is the most affected, and they know it. 83% believe they have an "unhealthy" relationship with their phone and attribute negative health impacts like increased anxiety (42%), more FOMO (23%), less sleep (66%) and lower self-esteem (26%) at higher rates than other US adults Thanks Anthony Vennare for bringing continued attention to this public health issue. You can check out the full report here: https://lnkd.in/ebhfZABH

We just released our 2024 Digital Wellness Report, a look into who is dealing with phone addiction the most and what impacts it has on their lives. Through this data, we can better understand current usage patterns, emotional responses and mental health impacts of phone usage. Recognizing the scale of phone usage and the motivations behind it presents us the opportunity to promote healthier digital habits with BePresent. Dive into the data below 👇

🙌 Exciting that BePresent topped the list of "Best Apps to Break Phone Addiction" by the Center for Internet & Technology Addiction! The Center for Internet & Technology Addiction is a great project run by Jake Reisch. I know that he and the team have a lot in the works 👀 so excited to see where they take this! https://lnkd.in/eUvxCUev

One of our longtime users, a high schooler named Ozzie (thank you Ozzie!!), sent us a TedTalk a few months ago that illuminates the true cost of social media. https://lnkd.in/duGRJ5ma Dino Ambrosi, the founder of Project Reboot is aiming to guide teens and young adults toward a relationship with technology that empowers them. In his talk, he breaks down how the average young person spends their time. If they’re lucky to live until 90, they’ll spend about 228 months sleeping, 126 months in work or school, 36 months on things like cooking and chores, and only about 334 months of free time to devote to, well, whatever they want. But then, he relays this alarming stat: most of us will spend 26 years of our life on a screen. Yep, that’s about 90% of our total free time outside of sleep, work, school and chores. Imagine getting to 90 years old and looking back at your life and thinking of all the things you missed out on — all the things you could have done — if only you weren’t so distracted. I see so many of my friends struggle with screen time, and I’ve struggled with it, too. Developing a healthy relationship with my phone literally changed my life. I’ve developed so much intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. I’ve started a business, I’ve strengthened relationships, but maybe most importantly, I’ve learned to enjoy the experience that is our ordinary everyday life. I’m optimistic because I know we can fix this. The BePresent app uses the same psychological techniques that social media companies use, but to encourage you to get off your phone, rather to stay on it. I think about what Dino says in the opening of his TedTalk — “How you spend this time is going to determine the quality of your life.” So will you battle for your time, and BePresent? -Jack  

The science behind an accountability buddy 🤝 High screen time can create an isolating experience. While many online connections are IRL connections, too, endless consumption of highlight reels can pull us apart more than bring us together. It’s why we believe so much in the concept of an accountability buddy. If your goal is to create healthier boundaries around your phone usage, take on the challenge with a friend, just like you might with any other health-related goals. There’s a lot of research that backs up having a buddy to help you achieve career, personal and health goals. One US study found you have a 65% chance of contemplating a goal if you work toward it with someone else, The Guardian recently reported. And checking in regularly with that person raises the success rate to 95%, the article said. This is why we built Accountability Partners into BePresent. This feature allows you to share your screen time with a friend to keep you accountable and on track. Feel free to check in with each other throughout the week for extra motivation. When I’m beating my brother (and BePresent cofounder) in our group, I always like to make my screen time wins known. But if you’re not the competitive type, that’s okay too! You and your partner can set whatever goals you’d like to keep each other motivated. We’ve found that having an accountability buddy makes reducing your screen fun. The social aspect keeps us motivated and engaged, and the friendly competition pushes us to make even more progress. We think you’ll feel the same. As we naturally get a little more time to spend with friends in the warmer months, why not bring them along for this challenge? Try out the Accountability Partners feature this summer and let us know how it goes: [email protected] -Jack

In a journey of trying to build a better relationship with your phone, have you ever considered leaving it at home when you head out of the house? It goes against the classic routine we all practice before we step out of the door — wallet, keys, phone. For a lot of people, the thought of leaving their phone behind inspires some fear and panic. National Library of Medicine (NLM) scientists have even given that feeling a name — NOMOPHOBIA, or, NO MObile PHone PhoBIA. But when we’re trying to build healthier relationships with our phones, forcing ourselves to actively participate in the outside world, even for brief periods of time, is a great step. “We have to stay in the real world more than the virtual world,” the researchers wrote. “We have to re-establish the human-human interactions, face to face connections.” It can be impractical to leave your phone at home for an entire day at a time. But you can start small — try going on a walk in your neighborhood, heading to the grocery store, or out to dinner with a friend without it. These distraction-free moments will get you in the habit of being present and aware of your surroundings. There’s even some research into what’s called an “awe walk,” where you purposefully notice and admire what’s around you. Scientists have found dedicated “awe” time relieves stress, worry and anxiety. When you do this, you’ll begin to develop a renewed appreciation for the ordinary things in life, and your desire to constantly distract yourself with your phone will diminish. You can use some strategies to create that physical distance at home, too. Increasing the effort it takes to access your phone, whether that be turning it off or leaving it in another room will cut back on mindless scrolling. You’ll probably notice breaks in your focus that you’d usually fill with dopamine hits from your phone, but we bet you’ll decide it's not worth the effort to seek it out in the other room. Soon, that unconscious habit of checking social media or other mindless scrolling will slow. And when you realize the minimal effort to walk to the other room doesn’t feel worth it, we hope it highlights just how unimportant the scrolling was. Have you tried leaving your phone behind on a walk, or out with a friend? What differences did you feel?

💡 Key Takeaways from Andrew Huberman's recent episode with Dr. Jonathan Haidt on Smartphones and their impact on the mental health crisis. I was part of the first generation to grow up with smartphones. Anyone my age intuitively understands the harmful impacts of phone addiction because we experience it every single day. While awareness amongst people who didn't grow up with smartphones is still developing, it's been great to see this issue gain more mainstream awareness, with coverage increasing 100x in 2024 alone. 📝 Key Takeaways: 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐞𝐧 𝐙 Starting in 2010 (when I was in middle school) there was a great rewiring of childhood across the globe. This was the first generation to grow up with smartphones and the impacts have been catastrophic. - Rates of mental illness have increased +130% - Time spent with friends has declined -57% - Our ability to focus and retain information has been decimated While this is a problem that impacts everyone, my generation has felt the brunt of the impacts. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 "𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞" While much of the conversation has revolved around "screen time", and it's definitely an important part, the problem is more complex and varied. I've always said that you can think of "screen time" similarly to calories in the context of nutrition. It's an important metric and can be helpful, especially when 99% of people would benefit from reducing screen time, but at the end of the day, it's an imperfect proxy for digital well-being. In addition to screen time, factors that impact our digital well-being include: - The actual content we consume - The social dynamics of interacting online - The length of content we watch & constant context switching - Disruption in sleep and other 2nd order impacts At BePresent, we're first focusing on screen time (specifically breaking the addictive compulsion to look at your phone) since this is the first step in optimizing our digital life. However, our long-term vision includes addressing all factors that impact our digital well-being. Stay tuned for future product launches. 𝐀𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 & 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 72% of Gen Z consider reducing screen time a top health priority. We spend the majority of our lives online. The way we interact online has a massive impact on our physical, mental, and emotional health. We're all waking up to this fact, but yet, we have no solid frameworks to help us navigate our digital lives. Pretty soon, the same we we track and optimize areas of our life like fitness and nutrition, we will do for Digital Wellbeing. Gen Z maturing will drive a lot of innovation in this space.

3 phone hacks that actually help you stay productive at work If you’re like the average American adult, you’re probably spending about four hours on your phone every day. And in a work setting, you probably get an average of 237 notifications across different platforms like Instagram, email and Slack, Amy Blankson, cofounder of the Digital Wellness Institute says. All this fragmented attention interrupts our productivity and creativity, and it could be costing the U.S. GDP trillions of dollars. Fully restricting access to phones and social media likely won’t fix these problems in an office setting. Like strict nutritional diets, people usually fall back into old habits when solutions aren’t sustainable. Instead of elimination, moderation can be key to having a healthy relationship with your phone without needing to fully disconnect. Here’s three strategies for the workplace that will help you stay productive: 🚧 Establish digital boundaries: Putting usage parameters on your phone time can establish intentionality and counteract some of the unconscious tendencies we have. When workers hit roadblocks or challenges, they tend to unconsciously reach for their phones in search of something more interesting and fun. If this is you, try deleting social media apps that influence aimless scrolling — Instagram and TikTok just aren’t the same on a desktop computer. You can also try to make your phone less accessible, by keeping it in your desk or backpack, or turning it off during work hours. If you must have it, deactivate nonessential notifications to minimize distractions. 🏅 Reward yourself: A core tenet of habit formation is to make a habit as easy and rewarding as possible. You can harness the same principles that make smartphones so addictive — reward systems of likes and dopamine hits — to encourage more mindful tech usage. BePresent uses gamification to reduce screen time, allowing users to track progress and achieve milestones. This motivating experience, which rewards instead of restricts, has reduced our average users’ screen time by 15 hours per week. By celebrating milestones in your digital detox, you’ll create a rewarding experience that aligns with our natural desire for achievement and recognition. 🥙 Cultivate offline interests: Studies have shown that people who replace screen time with meaningful offline activities are much more likely to stick to healthy technology use long term. At work, this can mean having lunch or coffee with colleagues instead of sitting alone at your desk scrolling. Our data shows that participants who engaged in offline activities reported a 30% increase in perceived productivity and a significant decrease in stress levels. This shift toward engaging in real-world activities reconnects us with the joys of living fully present and accomplishing goals that were being left behind because of too much wasted time on screens. Are there other habits that work well for you?