The Dark Side of Screen Time, with Adam Alter, PhD
In this American Psychological Association 'Speaking of Psychology' episode, Adam Alter discusses patterns of screen use he associates with reduced wellbeing, citing figures suggesting the average American adult spends roughly four hours a day on screens, with children's use running higher, and noting that people commonly underestimate their own use by roughly half. He argues that app and platform design — not individual personality alone — drives much of this pattern, pointing to built-in 'hooks' like notifications and social feedback. Alter is critical of the gap between what technology executives permit their own children and what the same companies market to the public, and calls for schools to teach 'technological hygiene' before emerging virtual- and augmented-reality products become harder to disengage from. TechKids Foundation includes this episode as a psychology-association-hosted, mainstream-audience summary of the design critique with a specific school-based recommendation.
Alter cites average American adult screen time as roughly four hours a day during this episode, with children's use running higher, around six hours, per the figures he references on the show.
Alter says people commonly underreport their own screen use by around 50% compared with tracked usage, per his comments on the episode.
Luna, Kaitlin (host). "The Dark Side of Screen Time, with Adam Alter, PhD." Speaking of Psychology, episode 81, American Psychological Association, 2019. https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/screen-time