The amount of time that people now spent online have been a cause of worry for many who felt we are wasting our life away. According to the Digital 2019 report that came out earlier this year, people spend an average of six hours and 42 minutes each day online, spending nearly a third of their time daily on the internet, mostly on mobile devices.
Singaporean healthtech firm Plano Pte Ltd has launched this month the Plano Time Machine, web-based platform that helps monitor the amount spent online and aims to educate people on the personal costs incurred due to their excessive device use behaviour.
It is an online experience which uses the latest scientific research and in-built algorithms to inform each user of the time they stand to lose over the course of their life and what they are trading in exchange for being on their phone or tablet.
"I've always been fascinated by the concept of time. Time Machine is a product of turning my fascination into a powerful tool to help us answer one of life's most vital questions – How will I spend the time I have left?" said Plano's COO Kevin Tay. "While this may be an uncomfortable question and a good wake-up call for some, it nudges us to internalize the consequences and the required actions to better manage our screen time."
Within only days of its soft launch, the platform went viral with over 3,000 site visits. For the thousands of users from 43 countries worldwide including Singapore, US, UK, Australia and India, the revelations have been alarming.
According to Plano, the average 21-year-old loses  a total of 11 years on smart devices. On average, Singaporeans spend close to 15 years (8 hours a day), or 33% of their entire lives on their devices. The average screen time in India on the other hand is 9 years (6 hours a day), that is 21% of their lifetimes on their devices.
The company said recent evidence suggests that too much screen time significantly increases the risk of anxiety and depression, serious eye conditions including myopia, and a range of potentially fatal systemic illnesses including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.
Time Machine is now available for the public to use and find out their personal statistics as well as the daily adjustments they can make to reduce the number of years lost to their devices.
