Morgan Dreiss, a copy editor from Orlando with severe ADHD, spends an average of 18 hours and 55 minutes on screens daily. This includes reading books via Libby and playing games that pay out money despite the potential risks to cognitive health.

Diaz, a video game marketer who lives in remote Ontario, sees her screen time as essential for staying connected with friends and accessing niche social groups. She argues that excessive screen time warnings are a “moral panic” blaming the wrong culprit.

Similarly, Daniel Rios, a computer programmer from South America, uses Discord to stay in touch with old friends after they moved away. He doesn’t feel a need to cut down on his screen time as it keeps him connected and avoids boredom at home.

Brooke Williams, an UX designer in the San Francisco Bay Area, sees her constant online presence as necessary for being “Google and TMZ” for family members, keeping them informed about celebrity news. For her, the issue isn’t with screens but with societal issues like social isolation and overworking that are often pushed off onto screen time.

These individuals represent a minority group who resist the trend of reducing screen time, viewing it as a necessary tool rather than a detrimental habit. However, their views raise questions about how society should balance concerns for mental health and productivity with the reality of modern digital dependency.