Set a hard limit on short videos and aimless scrolling
- High value
- Evidence C
- Saves time
- Free
- Takes minutes
- Long-term effort
In plain words
In 2024, people in China spent an average of 5 hours 37 minutes a day online. Among those who actually went online that day, it was 6 hours 3 minutes. In 2018, by the same method, it was only 2 hours 42 minutes. This is the biggest number in this section. Cutting one hour a day adds up to 365 hours a year.
- 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
-
- National Bureau of Statistics (2024). Bulletin of the Third National Time Use Survey (No. 2) [in Chinese]. https://www.stats.gov.cn/sj/zxfb/202410/t20241031_1957216.html
- National Bureau of Statistics (2019). Bulletin of the 2018 National Time Use Survey [in Chinese]. https://www.stats.gov.cn/sj/zxfb/202302/t20230203_1900224.html
- China Internet Network Information Center (2025). The 56th Statistical Report on China's Internet Development [in Chinese]. https://www.cnnic.net.cn/NMediaFile/2025/0730/MAIN1753846666507QEK67ZS9DH.pdf
Mentioned in
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