20. Manage Your Social Media & Screen Time – Take Back Control Of Your Phone

We realize this is a longer episode than usual. Why? Because this topic is crucial to talk about. We notice, more than ever, that our overuse of social media and 7+ hours of screen time can take away the time that God wants you to use to continue or discover your mission. Here are some hard facts found in research: We unlock our phones 150 times a day, according to a study on internet trends. 60% of college students admit they are addicted. 87% of Millennial say that their smartphones never leave their side. Excessive screen time also seems to be eroding teens' ability to get good sleep, which might also have negative mental health effects. Heavy reliance on smartphones is tied to a higher risk for suicidal thoughts or self-harm in school-age kids and teens. Overall, social media can easily suck us into thinking we are not doing enough, don't look a certain way, eating the right foods, working out enough or hustling enough. We, David + Lianna, have struggled deeply with social media in the past and sometimes now. We each shared our stories with social media usage and too much screen time and how it affected us differently. For example, whenever we are stressed or want to just chill, we find that we cope by getting on social media or have more screen time and waste time there instead of continuing our mission from God. We want to help you take FULL control of your phone. You do not have to allow your phone to control you anymore. You can take control of your phone usage, social media's mindless scrolling, and bring down hours of screen time. We are not here to bring you down or to make you feel worse about yourself, especially if you really are addicted to your phone. Because we can be so addicted, it is hard to break that habit of getting on our phones without even thinking about it. So, give yourself grace & patience on this. Pray about it & ask God to open your eyes on how to do this on His Strength. He will help you and guide you. Bible verses mentioned: Leviticus 19:4 NIV “ ‘Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves. I am the LORD your God.” Ephesians 5:15-17 “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”   Research used for this episode: https://www.inc.com/john-brandon/these-updated-stats-about-how-often-we-use-our-phones-will-humble-you.html https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2020-02-10/more-evidence-links-social-media-use-to-poorer-mental-health-in-teens https://www.broadbandsearch.net/blog/social-media-facts-statistics Are you loving this podcast? Go to our Patreon to support us & keep the podcast ad-free & we want to bless you back, https://www.patreon.com/thesimplemission    Connect with The Simple Mission on Instagram: instagram.com/thesimplemission   Read The Simple Mission blog: thesimplemission.com/blog