Screen Grab

Throughout the world, 3.8 trillion hours was spent on smart phone apps alone last year. We spend nearly seven hours a day on our devices and a staggering 84% of the world's population who own a mobile say they can't go a day without it. But help is on its way.

Digital wellbeing expert Georgie Powell challenges our volunteer families to go through the Screen Grab process. And in doing so they show the rest of us how we can change our tech habits.

Georgie is in Beith, North Ayrshire, helping the Nimmo family deal with their tech dependency. Mum Donna is a health visitor with the NHS. She contacted Screen Grab with concerns of extreme family screen time use including her own challenges with personal messaging and the internet.

Dad, Paddy, a PE teacher, has a hankering for Twitter. Daughter Charlotte is a law student and is in the dock for 'screen misuse'. Sister Caitlin is a YouTube fiend and Abbie watches too much Netflix. This all adds up to a family daily average of 22hrs 42m of screen time. Can Georgie reduce this and help the family reconnect with each other?

Georgie is in Dunoon, Argyll and Bute helping the McNicol-Taylor family deal with their tech dependency. Mum Isabel contacted Screen Grab for assistance as they are all glued to their screens. She works from home for the local council and works 35 hours a week but spends an average of four hours and 40 minutes on her screen.

Dad Duncan is a self-employed builder. His screen use is a major temptation and a big concern for Isabel. Between working and leisure, Duncan spends almost 11 hours in total glued to a screen. Nine-year-old daughter Dana racks up around eight hours a day between her phone and tablet.

The family's average daily total stands at 23 hours and 33 minutes. Georgie certainly has her work cut out to reduce this and help the family reconnect with each other.

In this episode, Georgie Powell is in Dunbar, East Lothian, helping the Dawson family deal with their tech dependency. Their digital distractions have taken over the family and left them feeling detached and isolated from one another.

Dad Steve, who works in IT, called for help in an attempt to reduce their sky-high screen time and re-establish a family connection. He spends nearly five hours on his screen each day. Mum Claire is a crochet queen and spends an average of almost six hours a day on Pinterest and playing Angry Birds. Daughter Emily loves endlessly scrolling through TikTok, racking up six and a half hours, while brother Charlie is an online gamer and is rarely seen outside of his bedroom. On average, Charlie spends close to eight hours glued to his screens each day, with very little time left for family and friends. This gives the family an incredible daily average of 25 hours!

Georgie has her work cut out to reduce this and help the family reconnect with each other before it's too late.