Set up your devices
To reduce the appeal of your screens, sometimes all you need is to adjust your personal settings or download certain applications. Here are some tips to set up your devices; choose the ones that best suit your needs.
6 tips to set up your devices
- Turn off all visual and audio notifications that are not essential.
- Deactivate the auto-play function, on your Netflix and YouTube accounts for example, so that videos stop playing after only one viewing or after a set period of time.
- Reduce the blue light emitted by screens – which has a harmful effect on sight and sleep – by activating the “night shift” function or the “blue light filter”. By downloading an application like F.Lux, you can automatically adapt your screen’s colors and brightness according to the time of day.
- Make your screens less appealing by turning on greyscale mode in your settings (a site like Go Gray can show you how) to eliminate the appeal of bright colours and their stimulating effect on the brain. Nudge, an extension for Google Chrome, reduces the attractiveness of websites by modifying their functions and design.
- Program a schedule for use on your home router (e.g., between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.)… and don’t forget to let your family know!
- Activate parental controls in your device settings or download an application (e.g., Ourpact, FamilyTime, Qustodio) to program usage times or block access to certain sites and applications.
