What Are the Benefits of a Digital Detox & How to Do It

Without even knowing it, you may be feeling the negative effects of too much screen time. Have you recently felt depression, fatigue, anxiety, or body aches and pains? Do you spend so much time indoors, staring at your computer, tablet, television, and smartphone, that you don’t get enough sunlight exposure or physical activity? Are you having trouble sleeping after scrolling before bedtime, or are you experiencing screen-related eye strain?

If you’re like most Americans, you spend a lot of time every day looking at screens. With mobile devices accompanying their owners everywhere 24/7, people now have virtually unlimited screen access. But this constant exposure can come with serious costs.

If you’ve never tried a digital detox—avoiding or limiting screens, or certain types of usage, for a set amount of time—now is a great time to start. Let’s take a look at how screen time impacts us, how a digital detox can benefit your life, and how to reap optimal results in the process.

The Dangers of Our Growing Digital Dependence

According to Datareportal’s Digital 2024: Global Overview Report, 69.4% of the world’s total population now uses a mobile device, and more than 66% use the internet. Meanwhile, “active social media user identities” have passed the 5 billion mark, a growth of 5.6% over the previous year.

We already know that social media is greatly impacting young people. When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2011-2021 (YRBS) results were published in 2023, the stats were shocking. Based on responses from 17,000 high school students across the U.S. in 2021, the survey found that 57% of teen girls and 29% of teen boys reported feeling so sad and hopeless for 2 weeks or more in the last year that their usual activities were interrupted. And 30% of high school girls reported seriously considering suicide in the year prior. These numbers reflected dramatic increases from 2011 levels.

Experts have connected these changes with the rise of smartphone and social media use, which boomed throughout the 2010s. Research studies have noted mental health can suffer (for example, through increased rates of depression and suicide) from electronic use—and more screen time has been associated with worse mental health outcomes. Other studies have found that screen time changes the volume, structure, and functioning of adolescents’ developing brains.

Clearly, while technology can help connect us, it can also impact our well-being—and not only among kids, but adults as well. Many people fall into the trap of unfavorably comparing themselves to the curated online presentations on social media profiles. Others experience fear of missing out (FOMO) or are exposed to an overload of negative information online, like sensationalist news reports, violence, or content that promotes damaging behaviors like eating disorders. On top of that, we know that social media is literally designed to be addictive, in the same way slot machines are—and many Americans are hooked.

Too much screen time doesn’t only affect mental health. Our physical bodies suffer, too—from eye strain, poor posture, back pain, or carpal tunnel syndrome. The combination of prolonged periods of sitting with the resulting lack of physical activity have prompted medical experts to warn us that sitting is the new smoking. And studies have shown that constant exposure to blue light from screens can even impact the skin, accelerating aging and hyperpigmentation.

Staying inside glued to screens also robs us of the gifts of venturing outside, like vitamin D-producing sunshine and the stress-reducing power of nature. People can even miss out on longevity-boosting social interactions with friends and family when they withdraw or isolate while on their devices. These are just some of the effects that excess screen use can trigger.

Digital Detox Benefits & How to Do It

If you want to be more mindful about your screen time, try a digital detox—you’ll likely find many benefits as a result. With less distractions, you’ll enjoy more awareness of what’s happening around you, in the present moment. You’ll be able to truly connect with people and the natural world. You may also notice better focus and less stress without the constant interruptions and information overload that technology brings.

If you tend to use screens before bedtime, you’ll probably enjoy better sleep, too. The National Sleep Foundation reports that the blue light from screens affects the natural sleep-wake cycle, making it more difficult to fall asleep. Checking email or engaging with other stimulating content also promotes wakefulness. And if those screens stay on—for example, if you routinely fall asleep to a television droning in the background—you can be disturbed multiple times throughout the night by light or noise.

To start a digital detox, first set some parameters. Maybe you stay totally screen-free for a full day or weekend. Maybe you choose a week and adhere to a set time limit per day. (For adults, outside of work, 2 hours is the recommended maximum—significantly less than the 7 hours that’s average for American adults.) Or perhaps you’d simply like to abstain from all social media for a month-long experiment.

Focus on changing the behaviors that you think are most detrimental or intrusive to your life and pick a plan you can stick with. If you fail to meet your goal, don’t beat yourself up—use the setback as information to help you learn more about your habits and make further improvements. And, before you start, share your plan with key people so they know how to reach you if needed. You might even want to get your entire family on board, framing it as a fun challenge with rewards at the end for participants.

Ideally, you’ll be replacing those screens with healthier activities, so be prepared beforehand with some ideas and materials that will help occupy your time.

Here are some ways I love unwinding away from screens:

• Getting outdoors for a hike, walk, or bicycle ride
• Spending quiet time in nature
• Completing a session of physical activity: weight training, aerobic, stretching, or mobility exercises
• Spending quality time, in person or on the phone, with your family or friends
• Cooking healthy meals from scratch
• Reading a physical book or magazine
• Journaling
• Prayer, deep breathing, or meditation
• Indulging in a “spa day” at home, with soothing music, a relaxing aromatherapy bath, a facial mask, a manicure and pedicure, and calming herbal tea
• Taking a tech-free weekend getaway near blue or green spaces (oceans, lakes, forests, etc.), which are shown to reduce stress

Whatever parameters and activities you decide on, remain aware of your experience throughout the digital detox. You can even keep a brief written record of the process, noting what changes you made, how you felt, what challenges you faced, and how you overcame them. Don’t forget to reflect on what benefits you received in the process, like better sleep, more mindfulness, or less stress. Finally, list some ways you can incorporate these new habits into your everyday life. For example, you might trade 30 minutes of screen time every day for a walk outside or delete just one of your social media accounts.

Reclaiming Your Real Life Through a Digital Detox

While technology offers plenty of conveniences, it can also lead to a lot of unwanted effects when we consume it without sensible limits. Unfortunately, between gaming, social media, checking news, online shopping, and more, many people are now accustomed to living a large percentage of their lives on-screen.

With so many rapid tech developments in recent years, only time will tell how much we’re all impacted by this ongoing digital revolution. But we can start making positive changes in our usage right now. Being more mindful about our exposure to screen-based content will help ensure optimal health for our brains and bodies, and a digital detox is a great way to begin.