If you go into your smartphone’s settings, you can see how much time you spend on your phone daily. In the USA, in 2024, the average was 6 hours and 40 minutes; in other countries, like South Africa, the average is over nine. But what does that number really represent? Is it hours you’ve spent communicating? Work productivity? Entertainment? Is it the majority of the day, or only a small part?
Screens are not evil. They’re a tool, and, like any tool, they can be used in good and bad ways. A hammer is a tool. So is a knife. As Christians, we have to decide how we’re going to use our screens, instead of letting them use us.
God’s Word
Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” If we want to know how to deal with something, we only have to turn to the word of God. Like the rest of our actions, our screentime, however much it is, needs to be infused with the light of Jesus Christ. But that means more than posting the occasional Bible verse to your story; whether you’re posting about your faith or not, Jesus needs to be at the center of your thoughts. That’s a problem, though, when we get on our phones specifically to turn our brains off.
Connection
It’s hard to let go of screens. They’re in our cars, gas station pumps—even our refrigerators! Everything needs a wifi connection or a subscription to operate. But we’re living in a world where people feel less connected to each other, and less prepared to make connections. Making and maintaining friendships in an increasingly digital world is becoming harder and harder. But the church is about connection. Our Christian brothers and sisters are our family, our church is our home, and we’re called to reach out to the world to bring them to the light of Christ. How can we do that if we’re spending hours and hours a day absorbed in a screen?
Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Christian community is beautiful and worthy of our thoughts. When you are on your phone, use it to engage people in spiritual conversation and connection. We can reach more people than ever before, but not if we’re stuck scrolling TikTok all day.
Time
Beyond negative mental health statistics linked to screen time and social media, mindless phone use steals our time. Scrolling through different social media algorithms, boredly exiting out of one only to click on another, knowing we should be doing something more important—that’s a waste of our time. Out of those nearly seven hours a day the average American spends on their phone, how much of it is actually productive? Probably not a lot, if we’re being honest with ourselves. We’re on our phones because our attention spans are diminished, or we’re doomscrolling, or we’re avoiding real responsibilities.
Though the apostles never held a smartphone or dealt with dozens of iCloud notifications, they warned us against the things caused by phone overuse. Ephesians 5:15-16 says, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” Time is a non-renewable resource, and we don't know how much of it we have; shouldn’t we use it the best we can?
We are wiser when we realize how precious our time is. To be good digital disciples, we need to evaluate how much (and often) we use digital tools compared to how long we have on Earth. You can do amazing, impactful, and God-focused things through a screen. But we have to consider if our screentime is truly worth it.
Reflection questions
