How much of your time is screen time?

For many of us, screen time is part of everyday life. But when quick check-ins turn into doom scrolling, it’s easy to spend more time on your phone than you mean to. 

Here’s how to spot the difference between intentional and unintentional screen time, use app timers and app limits and build healthier phone habits.

Screen time is the amount of time you spend using devices with screens, including smartphones, tablets, laptops and TVs. Most modern phones include built-in screen time settings that show how long you spend on apps, websites and different activities throughout the day.

Checking your screen time can help you understand your habits. You might discover you spend hours messaging friends, listening to podcasts or learning something new. Or you might notice that social media apps are taking up more of your time than you actually want them to.

Not all screen time is the same though. The key difference is whether your phone use is intentional or unintentional.

Intentional screen time is when you use your phone actively for a specific purpose.

This could be:

• Replying to messages

• Video calling friends or family

• Reading articles or e-books

• Learning a new skill

• Using navigation apps

• Completing work or study tasks

• Exercising with a fitness app

When your phone helps you do something meaningful, practical or enjoyable, it can genuinely improve daily life. The challenge is deciding what those intentional actions will be before you pick up your device and putting it away when you’re done.

That’s when maintaining a healthy balance with tech gets tricky, and intentional phone use can slip into unintentional screen time.

Unintentional screen time often happens when you pick up your phone without a clear intention or keep using it after you’ve done what you needed to do in the first place.

Common examples are:

• Doom scrolling on social media

• Switching between apps without completing an action

• Repeatedly checking notifications

This type of screen time can quickly add up and leave you feeling anxious, distracted or lower your mood. If you regularly feel like you’ve spent too much time on your phone without getting much from it, passive use could be the culprit.

As part of our new Digital Wellbeing strategy, we’ve launched a Digital Wellbeing Manifesto: a long-term commitment to helping people build healthier, more intentional relationships with technology.  

Guided by five core principles, it sets out how we’ll drive meaningful progress in digital wellbeing through responsible design, research and practical support. And while long-term change matters, so do the everyday habits that shape how we spend our time online.

The Digital Intentionality Score

We teamed up with author and digital wellbeing expert Seyi Akiwowo to create the Digital Intentionality Score — a free, 10-question tool that shows you how intentionally you're using your phone.

Answer honestly, and you'll get a personalised score out of 100 (the national average is 63), plus a behavioural profile and practical tips to help you build healthier habits. The tool uses real usage data alongside your own answers, so what you get back is genuinely useful.

With 44% of people in the UK saying they'd like help managing their phone use, it's the perfect place to start.

Take the quiz on our Virgin Media O2 site

Everyone’s screen time habits are different, but there are a few signs that your phone use could be becoming unintentional:

• Automatically reaching for your phone during quiet moments

• Struggling to focus without checking notifications

• Losing track of time while scrolling

• Disrupting your sleep with late-night phone use

• Feeling anxious when you’re away from your device

• Spending little time on offline activities or hobbies

Balancing our relationship with tech might be easier than we think. Digital wellbeing expert and author Seyi Akiwowo also recommends being more intentional with how we use our devices. From pausing before unlocking our phones to go online with a clear purpose, to taking regular screen breaks and checking in with how digital experiences make us feel.  

These small habits, alongside built-in tools on your smartphone, can make it easier to manage screen time and reduce distractions.

O2 scroll stopper

We know good intentions only go so far, especially when doomscrolling turns a quick check-in into way more time than planned. That’s why we launched the O2 scroll stopper. Schedule a callback via WhatsApp and get a playful reality check from Mel B herself, reminding you to step away from the doomscrolling and enjoy what’s happening around you. 

The service features pre-recorded messages in Mel’s signature no-nonsense style, designed to give you the nudge you didn’t know you needed. Try the scroll stopper by messaging 07868 289802 on WhatsApp. 

Try the O2 scroll stopper

Use app timers and app limits

App timers let you set a daily limit for specific apps. Once you reach the limit, the app becomes temporarily unavailable until the next day.

On iPhone, app limits can be found in the Screen Time settings menu. On Android, you can find similar tools through the Digital Wellbeing settings.

Turn off unnecessary notifications

Notifications are designed to grab your attention. If your phone lights up constantly, it can pull your focus towards apps even when you didn’t plan to use them.

Try reducing interruptions by:

• Keeping only calls and messages enabled

• Disabling social media alerts

• Using Focus or Do Not Disturb modes

• Scheduling notification-free hours in the evening

Move distracting apps off your home screen

Try moving social media apps into folders, removing them from your home screen or placing less-used apps on later pages. That small extra step can create a pause before opening an app.

Create no-screen zones at home

Being intentional with screen time isn’t only about app limits and settings. Creating physical boundaries can also help.

No-screen zones are places or times where devices are put away completely, such as:

• Keeping phones away from the dinner table

• Avoiding screens in the bedroom

• Staying offline during family time

• Leaving phones out of reach while studying

Want to go further? Block distracting websites

If there are specific websites that regularly pull your attention away, both iPhone and Android devices offer ways to restrict access.

How to block websites on iPhone

To block websites on iPhone:

1. Open Settings

2. Tap Screen Time

3. Select Content & Privacy Restrictions

4. Tap Content Restrictions

5. Choose Web Content

6. Select Limit Adult Websites or add specific websites under Never Allow

You can also use Screen Time to set downtime schedules and app limits across multiple Apple devices.

How to block websites on Android

To reduce access to distracting websites on Android:

• Open Digital Wellbeing & parental controls

• Use Focus mode to pause distracting apps

• Install a website-blocking app if needed

• Use browser extensions or parental controls for extra restrictions

Using your phone late at night can make it harder to switch off. Bright screens and constant stimulation may affect your sleep quality and make it more difficult to fall asleep.

Try replacing bedtime scrolling with a calmer routine instead. Start with simple activities that you’re already interested in such as reading a book, journaling, preparing for the next day or doing a skincare routine.

One of the best ways to reduce unintentional phone use is to fill your time with activities that feel rewarding away from a screen.

The key is finding something you enjoy rather than forced time away from screens.

That could include:

• Going for walks

• Exercising or joining a sports club

• Cooking new recipes

• Reading

• Arts and crafts

• Meeting friends in person

• Learning a musical instrument

• Spending time outdoors

For students and parents, offline activities can also help create healthier routines and encourage better balance throughout the day.