Set a hard limit on short videos and aimless scrolling

Cost

Free. The steps take only a few minutes: turn off push notifications, delete the app, or set a daily time limit on the app. The hard part is controlling your hand and holding back from opening it.

What you get

Residents of China spend an average of 5 hours 37 minutes a day online. Counting only those who actually went online that day, the average is 6 hours 3 minutes. People who used the internet that day make up 92.9%. These are 2024 figures. In 2018, by the same method, it was only 2 hours 42 minutes. This is the biggest number in this section. Cutting one hour of it a day equals 365 more hours a year. Also, according to the China Internet Network Information Center (中国互联网络信息中心), as of June 2025, internet users spent an average of 30.6 hours a week online, 1.9 hours more than six months earlier. There are 1,068,000,000 (10.68亿) short-video users, 95.1% of internet users.

Notes

Time online includes work, study and socializing, so it is not all wasted. It is rated C because no study has calculated how much time is won back after a limit, or what that time is used for; all we have is overall statistics. For one part of it, "scrolling to see how other people are doing," a randomized trial has measured how much time was won back and how much mood changed; see §3.20.

Evidence grade

C : The author's experience or common practice, without direct literature.

Sources

1. 国家统计局 (2024). 第三次全国时间利用调查公报（第二号）. https://www.stats.gov.cn/sj/zxfb/202410/t20241031_1957216.html
2. 国家统计局 (2019). 2018年全国时间利用调查公报. https://www.stats.gov.cn/sj/zxfb/202302/t20230203_1900224.html
3. 中国互联网络信息中心 (2025). 第 56 次《中国互联网络发展状况统计报告》. https://www.cnnic.net.cn/NMediaFile/2025/0730/MAIN1753846666507QEK67ZS9DH.pdf

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 4, tip 15. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer