How to Reduce Screen Time on Your Samsung Phone (Without Missing Out)
Take control of your screen time with small and honest steps.
For the longest time, my Samsung Galaxy phone felt like my closest companion—my second wheel, if you will. It was always within arm’s reach, ready to entertain, inform, or distract me. But the problem was that it loved me a little too much. Or maybe I loved it too much. Either way, I found myself constantly scrolling, tapping, and watching until I could barely focus on my personal growth and goals.
At first, I thought the solution was simple: just put the phone away or lock it in a drawer. However, the distance barely helped to reduce my screen time. The more I tried to stay away, the more I craved it. That’s when I realised I didn’t need distance; I needed discipline.
After realising this, I began to explore some built-in features Samsung had that could help me manage my time better. To my surprise, Samsung had a handful of built-in tools that made the process a lot smoother.
If you have such challenges as mine with your One UI phone, here are the simple, practical steps you can use to reduce your screen time, without going off the grid:
Oyinebiladou Omemu
Steps to Reduce Screen Time on Your Samsung Phone
1. Adjust Your Screen Timeout
How to do it:
Step 1. Locate and tap the "Settings" icon on your Samsung phone’s home screen or app drawer.
Step 2. Scroll down and tap on "Display" to access your screen and brightness options.
Step 3. Tap on "Screen timeout" and choose your preferred duration (e.g., 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute).
The shorter the timeout, the less idle time your screen stays on, helping you cut down on unnecessary usage.
2. Use Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls
Samsung devices come with built-in tools designed to help you monitor and manage your screen time more intentionally.
Step 1: Go to Settings and click "Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls" on your Samsung device.
Step 2: Tap "Dashboard" to view a summary of how much time you spend on your phone and individual apps.
This gives you a clearer picture of your habits, sometimes more eye-opening than you might expect.
Step 3: Set Limits and Create Boundaries. You can start with:
- Screen Time Goal: Set a daily limit for how long you want to use your phone.
- App Timers: Restrict time on specific apps that tend to take up more than their fair share of your attention.
- Bedtime Mode: Reduce late-night screen time by dimming your display and silencing notifications during set hours.
3. Add Healthy Habits Outside the Screen
This is because it’s not just about reducing screen time—it’s about replacing it with something better.
- Establish screen-free hours: No phones during meals, before bed, or right after waking up.
- Use focus apps: Try third-party apps like Forest, Focus To-Do, or ActionDash to stay on track.
- Be mindful: Every time you pick up your phone, ask yourself: Is this intentional or just a habit?
Conclusion
The goal isn’t to disconnect or ditch your phone. That’s not realistic for most of us. It’s more about being aware of how much time you’re giving to your screen and finding ways to take some of that time back.
Features like screen timeout and Digital Wellbeing won’t magically fix your habits, but they’re useful tools when you’re ready to make a change. For me, it all started with being honest about how often I reached for my phone and deciding to do something about it, one step at a time.
It’s not easy, but with a bit of consistency, it gets better.
Image credit: David Adubiina/Techloy.com
