Ex-Facebook and Pinterest exec explains tech addiction dangers

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Sep. 25, 2020 – “Most people think they spend two hours a day on their phone. When we look at the data … it’s four and a half — it just shows there’s a disconnect between reality and your awareness,” said Kendall, now the CEO of Moment, an app that tries to incentivize users to reduce their screen time.

“The thing that I have found that has moved the needle the most for me and actually allowed me to [be] a much better parent and much better partner is setting some limits on when I use my phone.”

‘Turn off your notifications. Turn them all off’

Kendall was previously the head of monetization at pre-IPO Facebook, where he developed products to generate more revenue for the startup. After leaving Facebook in 2010, he joined Pinterest as head of product, eventually becoming president of the company, though departing to focus on building a healthcare startup in 2018.

As the chief executive of Moment, Kendall works to help users focus on meaningful conversations with close friends and family. Kendall was well known for resisting screen addiction even when he was part of the big tech ecosystem, maintaining a “no phones” policy during meetings. In essence, Moment’s whole purpose is to unravel the work he did at Pinterest and Facebook for a decade. The app currently has 8 million users.