RECLAIMING HUMAN TIME IN THE DIGITAL AGE A Policy Framework for Regulating Excessive Television and Smartphone Use towards a New Social and Cultural Renaissance
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: The rapid expansion of television broadcasting, smartphones, and mobile internet connectivity has transformed contemporary human life. These technologies have created unprecedented opportunities for communication, education, information access, entertainment, and public services. However, their excessive and increasingly pervasive use raises important questions concerning the allocation of human time, the quality of family relationships, independent thinking, educational practices, sleep, cultural participation, and community life. This article proposes a public-interest policy framework for regulating excessive television consumption and smartphone-based digital engagement without rejecting technological advancement. It argues that technology should remain an instrument serving human development rather than becoming a dominant force that determines everyday life. The proposed framework has two principal components: a structured national television broadcasting schedule and a differentiated approach to mobile communication and internet access based on legitimate human needs. The article further examines the distinction between essential needs, useful conveniences, and non-essential luxuries in the context of digital consumption. It proposes strengthening reading habits, independent learning, handwritten academic work, institutional digital education, family interaction, public intellectual forums, traditional theatre, street performances, and endangered cultural practices. It also recognises the technical, regulatory, constitutional, and practical limitations of controlling internet speeds through conventional network-generation classifications. Adopting a conceptual and policy-analysis approach, the article develops a framework for reclaiming human time and restoring balance between technological progress and social well-being. It concludes that a new social and cultural renaissance may become possible when technological systems are designed and regulated around human priorities
Author: Ayyer, S Ravichandran
Language: English
Topic: Digital Media and Philosophy
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225638600
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