Recently, Jericho High School’s New Media/Communications classes agreed to take the Bored and Brilliant Challenge posed by WNYC’s New Tech City, a public radio podcast focused on technology’s impact on people’s lives. Many students became more aware of the magnitude of time they spend on technology, however, the overall consensus showed that they were unwilling to change their habits.
The Moment app tracks how much time a person spends on his phone, and sends a signal when a limit has been passed. Senior Giulia Milana, showed us her data on the Moment app. “What surprised me the most was that I was on it that much. When I got the notification that I had been on my phone for 416 minutes, I was shocked,” she said.
Senior Sam Newman believes that the Bored and Brilliant challenge was helpful because it made him realize more about his phone use. “Now when I go on my phone I’m very aware of the amount of time that I’m spending on it,” he said.
Junior Chloe Citron spends much of her time on the Instagram app, and the challenge made her more aware of her usage. However, when asked how she would reduce her time on her device, she simply stated, “I won’t.”
Junior Vanessa Eng said that her computer takes up more of her time than her phone does. “I don’t use my phone that often because I am on my laptop more. I don’t think it is appropriate to be on your phone during dinner with your family or in class because that is just rude.”
Senior Alanna Levine said the challenge really had an impact on her. “I used to use my phone all the time, but after taking the Bored and Brilliant Challenge, I realized how much it hindered my creativity.”
Citron’s least favorite challenge was, “The one where it asked you to delete your most used app, and I was like, ‘I can’t delete Instagram!’ ”
Junior Arianna Scavone found that the challenge really helped her manage her time more effectively. “It would give you the little signal ‘You have been on your phone for 30 minutes now’ and I would go, ‘Oh, that’s actually not too good, I should get to work.’ ”
