This is precisely why I avoided getting a smartphone for years. But eventually I caved, though I'm happy to say I don't spend an inordinate amount of time on it. The one problem I do have -- well, it's really more of a question than a problem -- is how much time is the "right" amount of time to set aside for communicating online with friends?

I've met people online, people who I now consider to be legitimately good friends, and I'd very much like to keep them in my life and continue to be a part of their lives. So the question I need to answer is where to draw the line re: time spent on my phone (or really, just social media more generally) interacting with those people. That's the hard part for me. I have no trouble avoiding YouTube, Amazon, Netflix, etc. when I know it's time to reinsert myself into the real world. But knowing when to put the phone down when a friend is tweeting about this or that is a trickier task.