China-Singapore Jingwei, May 7 (Chang Tao) Ma Yao has worked hard for three years to "stop" mobile phones, but still has not achieved the small goal of "reducing the average daily screen time from 7.5 hours to 5 hours".
In her own words, "I quit my mobile phone like interrogating a prisoner, using both hard and soft, and using the most stupid method." However, Ma Yao still did not give up, "I recently saw that the 'mobile phone isolation box' is very popular, and I am going to try it. try."
There are not a few young people like Ma Yao who want to quit mobile phones.
A report released by the Internet Development Research Center of Peking University shows that 50% of netizens want to escape the Internet and stay away from mobile phones.
Stimulated by this demand, quitting mobile phones has even become a business.
But can these seemingly "pediatric" methods really keep me away from mobile phones?
Declare war on mobile phones
Ma Yao decided to quit mobile phones in 2019.
At that time, she was addicted to Internet texts and couldn't extricate herself, and then she woke up and decided to quit her mobile phone.
At the beginning, Ma Yao took a relatively simple and rude way, with two words "unloading".
This trick was effective at first, but over time, Ma Yao found that this method failed a bit because he became addicted to the new app.
Later, Ma Yao thought of another move.
"Any app that has a small program that makes me addicted but doesn't have to be uninstalled, if the app does not have a small program, then I will use it and download it once and delete it after use. I know this method is extreme, but I was Force yourself like this." In addition, Ma Yao also reminded herself to use her phone less by setting the time.
"In the beginning, I set the automatic switch on and off, but later found that it was unrealistic, for example, the work could not be turned off after finishing the work. Later, I set it through the function of the mobile phone, for example, I can only use it for 5 hours a day, and the App will change if it times out. Gray. But this feature is not mandatory, you can choose to continue to use the phone." Ma Yao introduced.
Ma Yao's experience is a microcosm of young people quitting mobile phones. In order to meet their needs, some companies have even launched mobile phone quitting software.
In the Apple App Store, search with the keyword "or mobile phone", and it shows that there are many apps for download.
An app called "Do not play mobile phone" wrote in the introduction, "When the mobile phone do not play alarm is turned on, you pick up the mobile phone within the set time and it will alarm."
The Sino-Singapore Jingwei reporter noticed that the functions of such applications are similar, and they are all achieved by setting a period of time not to look at the mobile phone, otherwise the alarm will be issued.
"Don't Play Phone" App Settings Page
In fact, some phones have similar capabilities themselves.
"My mobile phone can set the time to use apps every day. When the time is up, these apps will be locked. I set most of the apps to 3 hours." said Xiaoxiong, a white-collar worker in Beijing.
There are also some young people, in order to prevent themselves from being addicted to mobile phones and unable to extricate themselves, they are trying to make mobile phones "unsightly" and "not fun".
Liu Chang, a white-collar worker in Guangzhou, was inspired by the ink screen of the e-book and turned the screen of his mobile phone to gray after some settings.
"I found that when I read a book with an ink screen, I was always inactive. I thought about it, in addition to the fact that reading itself is easy to make people sleepy, the color of the screen is also an important reason. This trick is really easy to use, and the mobile phone does not After the colorful colors, I want to stay away from it!"
Liu Chang posted his experience and tips for adjusting the color of the screen on Xiaohongshu, which received a lot of responses from netizens.
"Currently this note has more than 30,000 likes!"
"It's not soft, it's hard"
But is there any effect in the way of letting oneself off the mobile phone through settings or programs such as the above?
Xiaoxiong admits that this function that comes with the mobile phone is somewhat "formal".
"When the time is up, if I want to continue to brush these apps, I just choose to ignore it. The set time is just a decoration."
Ma Yao also had a similar experience.
"The mobile phone reminds me that the usage time is long enough. I usually choose to play for a while. Of course, the mobile phone will not be forced to shut down and let me play." Ma Yao said.
A reporter from China-Singapore Jingwei learned that some mobile phone parties will also establish a community, punch in every day, take a screenshot to share the mobile phone usage time of the day, and if it exceeds the time specified in the group, they must send a red envelope.
But Xiaoxiong said that everyone persevered well at first, but gradually they stopped following the agreement and began to "free themselves".
In the process of quitting mobile phones, Ma Yao will also use some "hard measures".
For example, when you are working or reading, keep your phone away from your sight.
She even gave her cell phone to someone else for safekeeping.
"As long as it's not in my sight, I won't think about seeing it." In Ma Yao's opinion, quitting the phone is the most effective method.
Recently, she has been eyeing the "mobile phone isolation box" again.
Xiaoxiong has experienced the "mobile phone isolation box".
"In fact, the principle of this kind of box is the same as that of the software. It is to set a certain time and not play with the mobile phone. The operation of the isolation box is also very simple. Put the mobile phone in the box, lock it, set the time, and then count down. When the timer is over, it will remind you. ." said the bear.
A reporter from Sino-Singapore Jingwei searched Taobao with the key word "quit phone". There are a large number of "mobile phone isolation boxes" related products, and the price is about 100 yuan.
These "mobile phone isolation boxes" are shaped like large power banks and come in various colors.
The product details of a "mobile phone isolation box" wrote: "Dual charging ports can be used for two or three months, you can make calls, WeChat voice, and listen to music." That is to say, after using the "mobile phone isolation box", it is not Means you are completely isolated from your phone.
In addition, this "phone isolation box" can also be opened three times in an emergency.
Source: Taobao screenshot
In the comment area, most buyers left a message saying that after using the "mobile phone isolation box", self-discipline and efficiency have improved.
However, a considerable number of buyers said that "it's useless" and "very tasteless".
A buyer left a message saying, "After using the emergency access permission for three times, I couldn't help but want to play and pried it open with a screwdriver." It's so complicated, just one action, just lock the screen."
Of course, the simpler and cruder way is to simply change to a phone that is not so good-looking and not so fun in order to lose interest in mobile phones.
On e-commerce platforms, "Jiewang mobile phone" is a major selling point.
However, the current "Jiewang mobile phone" is no longer limited to the category of elderly functional phones, but has more choices.
For example, you can choose a full-keyboard BlackBerry phone launched in 2008, which can install popular apps such as WeChat and QQ Music.
Xiaomi also launched the "Multi-parent" series, which is similar to a feature phone, but can use WeChat scanning code, health code and other functions.
However, changing mobile phones is by no means the best choice for contemporary young people.
Xiaoxiong said frankly that it is fine to use it on campus, but to use this kind of mobile phone at work will make him look too different and out of place.
Young people's attitudes towards mobile phones are changing
If it is said that starting to give up mobile phones is a manifestation of the change in attitude of young people towards mobile phones, then the reluctance to change mobile phones is another must be mentioned.
According to the latest data released by CINNO Research on April 25, in the first quarter of 2022, smartphone sales in the Chinese mainland market were about 74.39 million units, down 14.4% year-on-year.
Among them, there are challenges brought about by the rebound of the epidemic, and part of the reason is that consumers are gradually less willing to change phones, and young people are the main force for replacement.
Hu Boshan, executive vice president and chief operating officer of vivo, said in public recently that domestic mobile phone manufacturers have now entered the stock market, and the replacement cycle of users has also evolved from the earliest 16-18 months to 20-24 months, and then to the most recent 36 months.
There are two main reasons why young people are reluctant to change their mobile phones. One is that mobile phones are getting more and more expensive.
The third-party market research agency Canalys released a report in March showing that the average selling price (ASP) of smartphones in 2021 will increase by 10% year-on-year.
The second is that there is no revolutionary innovation in the mobile phone, but only some small adjustments in function.
Looking at the recently released products, the vivo X80 series mainly focuses on "night scene photography" and the self-developed chip V1+ blessing. The OPPO K10 series also focuses on dual flagship chips and game performance. These new products bring more performance and experience improvements.
Folding screen mobile phones are the only remaining innovation in the smartphone market from a category perspective, and the development is quite mature, and major domestic mobile phone manufacturers have already deployed.
Hu Boshan believes that "folding screen will be a new segmented incremental market for the smartphone market in the next 2-3 years, and the incremental speed will be very fast." Telecom analyst Fu Liang believes that the sales of folding screen mobile phones will increase significantly in 2022. , but the final market share will not exceed 30%.
(Ma Yao is a pseudonym in the text)