An app to reduce smartphone use

My son and I talk about his future phone use. He tells me that some kids in his grade already have their own phones. So we talk about how phone use should be limited at his age and that oversight is required. He still asks when he will be able to have his own phone, and I still don't have an answer yet. Lately I've been telling him that we may want to start him off with a flip phone that has no apps or games on it. (He is open to that.)

As we talk about his future technology use, I try to be mindful about how addictive it can be. I know so many adults who can't make it through a conversation without checking something on their phone. I have read about how apps trick our brains into going back for more and all the tips out there to help you disconnect (turn off all the color on your phone so it is black and white only; put your phone in a basket at dinner time and the person who checks it first has to clean up; give it a bedtime).

What I hadn't reviewed were the apps designed to keeping you off your phone.

But, they exist. A bunch of them. And, I for one like the idea of using an app to combat other apps. I am sure that if you are at the point in your phone use in which you are ready to face how much you really use it, then you may also be at the point where you are ready to change if you don't like the answer.

I spent a week a few years ago manually tracking my overall screen use, and got pretty good results. But I have always wondered if those results were influenced by the fact that I was monitoring my use that week.

Since I feel like my phone use has gone up since then, I am now thinking about downloading an app to track myself all the time and help me disconnect further.

Are you willing to try an app to keep you off your phone? Tell me in the comments.