Take the check
This check is adapted from the signs clinicians use for problematic gaming and internet use. It fits phones, social media and gaming alike. Answer for the last twelve months.
Free screen & gaming self-check
9 questions · under 2 minutes · no sign-up, nothing stored
What your score means
Each yes scores one point, out of nine.
- 0–2 — lower concern. Screens look like a normal part of life rather than a problem.
- 3–4 — worth watching. Some signs worth noticing, especially if use is creeping up or crowding other things out.
- 5–9 — higher concern. In clinical criteria, five or more signs in a year is the threshold for problematic use. Worth a proper conversation.
What actually helps
None of this replaces support, but all of it is worth doing while you decide:
- Add friction, don't rely on willpower. Log out, delete the app from the phone (keep it on desktop), grayscale the screen, charge the phone outside the bedroom. Design beats discipline.
- Protect the first and last hour. No screens for the first hour awake and the last hour before bed does more for mood and sleep than cutting total time.
- Name the job it's doing. Most heavy use is numbing boredom, stress, loneliness or avoidance. Treat that directly and the pull drops.
- Replace, don't just remove. A vacuum gets filled by the old habit. Line up something to do with the freed time before you cut back.
- Make it social and visible. Agree screen-free times with the people you live with. Shared rules stick far better than private ones.
When self-help isn't enough
Design tricks work while use is still a choice. They work less well once you've tried to cut down and couldn't, once gaming or scrolling is the main thing you look forward to, or once it's clearly costing you sleep, grades, work or relationships and you keep going anyway. That's usually a sign something underneath — anxiety, low mood, loneliness — is being managed by the screen, and that's what a counselling conversation can actually reach.
Talking to someone about it
A Lume Live session is a confidential 1:1 conversation with Sachin Bajaj, who holds an M.Sc in Clinical Psychology (Gurugram University) and a PGDGC from Jamia Millia Islamia. Sessions are ₹499 for 45 minutes, with your first at ₹249 using code FIRST50 — priced so that finding out whether it helps doesn't require asking anyone for money.
Nothing is shared with your parents, school, college or employer, and you can book using a first name only. For most people that matters more than the price.
Book a first session — ₹249
One 45-minute conversation. Pick your own slot and get the invite immediately. No package, no commitment to a course of treatment.
Frequently asked questions
Is this test free and private?
Completely. No sign-up, no email, no payment. Your answers aren't stored, sent or seen by anyone — they stay in your browser for the length of the check and are gone when you close the tab.
Is 'screen addiction' a real diagnosis?
Internet Gaming Disorder is listed in the DSM-5 as a condition for further study, and 'gaming disorder' is in the WHO's ICD-11. Broader 'phone addiction' isn't a formal diagnosis — but problematic use is real and worth addressing whatever it's called.
Does this diagnose anything?
No. It's a reflection screen adapted from clinical criteria, not a diagnostic tool. It tells you whether a fuller conversation is worth having.
Is it anonymous?
Yes. No name, email or phone number to take it, and nothing recorded. If you later book a session, a first name is enough.
This is about my teenager. Can I take it for them?
Better not to — the answers depend on what they're actually experiencing. Our parents' guide covers how to open that conversation without it becoming a fight.