“I finally felt I had the tools to control these urges”: Empowering Students to Achieve Their Device Use Goals With the Reduce Digital Distraction Workshop

Ulrik Lyngs, Kai Lukoff, Petr Slovak, Michael Inzlicht, Maureen Freed, Hannah Andrews, Claudine Tinsman, Laura Csuka, Lize Alberts, Victoria Oldemburgo de Mello, Guido Makransky, Kasper Hornbæk, Max Van Kleek, Nigel Shadbolt

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Abstract

Digital self-control tools (DSCTs) help people control their time and attention on digital devices, using interventions like distraction blocking or usage tracking. Most studies of DSCTs' effectiveness have focused on whether a single intervention reduces time spent on a single device. In reality, people may require combinations of DSCTs to achieve more subjective goals across multiple devices. We studied how DSCTs can address individual needs of university students (n = 280), using a workshop where students reflect on their goals before exploring relevant tools. At 1-3 month follow-ups, 95% of respondents still used at least one type of DSCT, typically applied across multiple devices, and there was substantial variation in the tool combinations chosen. We observed a large increase in self-reported digital self-control, suggesting that providing a space to articulate goals and self-select appropriate DSCTs is a powerful way to support people who struggle to self-regulate digital device use.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationCHI 2024 - Proceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Sytems
Number of pages20
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery, Inc.
Publication date2024
Article number251
ISBN (Electronic)9798400703300
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024
Event2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Sytems, CHI 2024 - Hybrid, Honolulu, United States
Duration: 11 May 202416 May 2024

Conference

Conference2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Sytems, CHI 2024
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityHybrid, Honolulu
Period11/05/202416/05/2024
SponsorACM SIGCHI
SeriesConference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Copyright held by the owner/author(s)

Keywords

  • attention
  • digital self-control
  • digital wellbeing
  • distraction

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