Mum put her phone's手机 /foʊn/ on the table桌子 /ˈteɪ.bəl/ with a firm坚定的 /fɝːm/ click咔哒声 /klɪk/.
"I just read a study研究 /ˈstʌd.i/. It says the average teenager少年 /ˈtiːn.eɪ.dʒɚ/ spends over seven hours a day in front of在……面前 a screen屏幕 /skriːn/. Seven. That's more than they sleep睡 /sliːp/."
Dad looked up抬起头 from his laptop笔记本电脑 /ˈlæp.tɑːp/. Jack stayed very still静止 /stɪl/ on the sofa沙发 /ˈsoʊ.fə/, his own phone手机 /foʊn/ face-down屏幕朝下的 /ˌfeɪsˈdaʊn/ on his knee膝盖 /niː/.
"That's the reality现实 /riˈæl.ɪ.t̬i/ of digital数字化 /ˈdɪdʒ.ɪ.t̬əl/ life. Every device设备 /dɪˈvaɪs/ is designed to hold吸引；占据 /hoʊld/ your attention注意力 /əˈten.ʃən/. The apps are built to专门设计来 operate运作 /ˈɑː.pɚ.eɪt/ on our habits习惯 /ˈhæb.ɪts/."
"It's not just games. I use it for access获取 /ˈæk.ses/ to news, for communicating联络 /kəˈmjuː.nɪ.keɪ.t̬ɪŋ/ with friends, for tools工具 /tuːlz/ I need需要 /niːd/ for school."
"I'm not saying phones are bad. The challenge挑战 /ˈtʃæl.ɪndʒ/ is the pattern模式 /ˈpæt.ɚn/. When you reflect反思 /rɪˈflekt/ on your day, how much of your screen屏幕 /skriːn/ time时间 /taɪm/ was really effective有效 /ɪˈfek.tɪv/?"
Jack thought想了想 /θɔːt/ about it. He had a vision想象 /ˈvɪʒ.ən/ of himself being productive高效 /prəˈdʌk.tɪv/ online线上的 /ˈɑːn.laɪn/ — but the reality现实 /riˈæl.ɪ.t̬i/ was different不同的 /ˈdɪf.ɚ.ənt/. He opened his phone手机 /foʊn/ usage report使用时长报告. The number数字 /ˈnʌm.bɚ/ looked wrong不对劲的 /rɔːŋ/. Five hours and forty四十 /ˈfɔːr.t̬i/ minutes — in a single day.
"That can't be normal正常 /ˈnɔːr.məl/."
"It's normal正常的 /ˈnɔːr.məl/ for your age group年龄群体, according to that study研究 /ˈstʌd.i/. The question问题 /ˈkwes.tʃən/ is whether or not是否 you want your status状态 /ˈsteɪ.t̬əs/ as an independent独立的 /ˌɪn.dɪˈpen.dənt/ thinker to be shaped by an algorithm算法 /ˈæl.ɡə.rɪ.ðəm/."
"We're not banning devices设备 /dɪˈvaɪ.sɪz/. We're talking about behavior行为 /bɪˈheɪ.vjɚ/. Every citizen公民 /ˈsɪt.ɪ.zən/ in a global全球的 /ˈɡloʊ.bəl/ world needs digital数字化 /ˈdɪdʒ.ɪ.t̬əl/ skills. But there's a variety多种 /vəˈraɪ.ɪ.t̬i/ of ways to achieve实现 /əˈtʃiːv/ that without不用 /wɪˈðaʊt/ losing yourself in a machine机器 /məˈʃiːn/."
They spent the next下一个 /nekst/ half hour半小时 designing a digital wellness数字健康 plan计划 /plæn/. The rules were simple: no screens屏幕 /skriːnz/ during meals, one hour of offline线下 /ˈɑːf.laɪn/ reading per每 /pɜːr/ day, and a phone-free hour before bed睡前. Jack was allowed a version版本 /ˈvɝː.ʒən/ of his own — he could swap the reading for drawing or a walk散步 /wɔːk/.
"What if I need my phone手机 /foʊn/ for a feature功能 /ˈfiː.tʃɚ/ of the homework app应用程序 /æp/?"
"Then use it — purposefully. There's always an option选项 /ˈɑːp.ʃən/ to set设置 /set/ a timer. The solution解决方案 /səˈluː.ʃən/ isn't less access获取 /ˈæk.ses/ to online线上 /ˈɑːn.laɪn/ life — it's a better attitude态度 /ˈæt.ɪ.tjuːd/ toward it."
Jack saved the plan in his notes app应用程序 /æp/ — then put the phone手机 /foʊn/ down. It was a start.
Jack noticed that every notification通知 /ˌnoʊ.t̬ə.fəˈkeɪ.ʃən/ created a fresh distraction干扰 /dɪˈstræk.ʃən/. Endless content weakened削弱了 /ˈwiː.kənd/ his concentration专注力 /ˌkɑːn.sənˈtreɪ.ʃən/, increased加剧了 /ɪnˈkriːst/ anxiety焦虑 /æŋˈzaɪ.ə.t̬i/, and sometimes interrupted扰乱了 /ˌɪn.t̬ɚˈrʌp.tɪd/ sleep. He changed the privacy隐私 /ˈpraɪ.və.si/ settings on each account账户 /əˈkaʊnt/, deleted the most tempting apps, and set a clear boundary界限 /ˈbaʊn.dri/ for evening use. The goal was not punishment惩罚 /ˈpʌn.ɪʃ.mənt/ or total abstinence戒除 /ˈæb.stə.nəns/, but moderate适度的 /ˈmɑː.dɚ.ət/ use and better balance平衡 /ˈbæl.əns/. Within a week, his productivity效率 /ˌproʊ.dʌkˈtɪv.ə.t̬i/ improved. He understood that every digital数字化的 /ˈdɪdʒ.ɪ.t̬əl/ choice had a consequence后果 /ˈkɑːn.sə.kwens/, even when an algorithm算法 /ˈæl.ɡə.rɪ.ðəm/ made the choice feel automatic.
Jack also recognized the signs of digital数字化的 /ˈdɪdʒ.ɪ.t̬əl/ addiction成瘾 /əˈdɪk.ʃən/: an impatient impulse冲动 /ˈɪm.pʌls/ to check the screen屏幕 /skriːn/, mental精神上的 /ˈmen.təl/ fatigue疲劳 /fəˈtiːɡ/, and an occasional偶尔的 /əˈkeɪ.ʒən.əl/ headache头痛 /ˈhed.eɪk/. Resisting克制；抵抗 /rɪˈzɪs.tɪŋ/ the temptation诱惑 /tempˈteɪ.ʃən/ became a small daily reward回报 /rɪˈwɔːrd/ and increased提高了 /ɪnˈkriːst/ his awareness意识 /əˈwer.nəs/.