{"id":128386,"date":"2019-03-19T16:45:28","date_gmt":"2019-03-19T16:45:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=128386"},"modified":"2025-07-01T22:13:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T05:13:09","slug":"digital-detox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/digital-detox\/","title":{"rendered":"Do you need a digital detox?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Digital<\/p>\n

Technology is the backbone of our lives. No joke.<\/p>\n

More and more, we\u2019ve been hearing about these digital cleanses, diets, or detoxes, aimed at reconnecting with society.<\/p>\n

What are these so-called digital detoxes, and do they actually work?<\/p>\n

We decided to take a look at the idea of the digital detox to see if it\u2019s a whole lot of BS or if there\u2019s something to it. Let\u2019s have a look to see if the “screen-free week” is worth a shot.<\/p>\n

What is a digital detox, anyway?<\/h2>\n
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A post shared by Craig Ballantyne (@realcraigballantyne)<\/a> on Jan 25, 2019 at 4:00pm PST<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A digital detox, as per Techopedia<\/span><\/a>, is a when someone quits using social media or a piece of digital equipment and instead, use that time for social interactions or offline activities.<\/strong> You can do a digital detox simply by pausing regular use, deleting apps, or otherwise refraining from social media or other online activities.<\/p>\n

There is also a whole market of digital detox retreats \u2014 which might sound like a rehab center for Facebook addicts, but these retreats seem more focused on getting people away from their phones in an effort to connect with themselves, with others, and potentially, with nature.<\/p>\n

Still, there\u2019s a lot of weird diet language associated with this trend. Vogue and Shape, among others, have written articles that talk about cutting back on screen time like they might have talked about cutting calories two decades ago.<\/p>\n

Psychology Today recommends<\/a><\/span> \u201cfasting\u201d from electronics. And Quartz published a whole piece on digital detoxing, using food metaphors to emphasize each point.<\/p>\n

MIT\u2019s Carlo Ratti makes an interesting counterpoint to all of this \u201cdigital detox nonsense.\u201d<\/span><\/a> He points out that virtual assistants like Alexa, Siri, and the Google Assistant are pushing technology into the background \u2014 away from our faces.<\/p>\n

Ratti gets at the idea that the internet of things might be the thing that saves us from the digital isolation\/addiction\/whatever these detoxes are supposed to fix.<\/p>\n

Still, he makes the point that we do benefit from pulling our eyes away from the screen now and again — but says we don’t need to shun technology in the name of good health.<\/p>\n

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Complete guide to self-improvement: mind and body<\/p>\r\n Read Now \u25ba<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

DIY digital detox<\/h2>\n

The most basic form of the digital detox is changing some habits on your own. This might mean keeping your phone on do-not-disturb for a set amount of hours, switching to a manual alarm clock, or deactivating Facebook and Twitter.<\/p>\n

Of course, attempting to do this on your own is more about self-control and implementing new habits — so some may find it hard to unplug without taking more dramatic steps.<\/p>\n

Retreats — a.k.a. a $$$\u00a0screen-free week<\/h2>\n
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Almost one week ago… #shadesofblue #bluewater #vacation #mauritius #takemeback #summer #sunshine #sunkissed #holidays #qualitytime #relax #digitaldetox #memyselfandi #tb #nofilter<\/a><\/p>\n

A post shared by Alexandra Laubrinus<\/a> (@alexandra_laubrinus) on Jan 31, 2019 at 10:53am PST<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Call it rehab or whatever, but those who have trouble unplugging on their own and the time and money to spare can shell out a couple thousand bucks for a digital detox. Prices are comparable to a yoga retreat \u2014 this digital detox retreat in Ibiza<\/a> is $2,200, sans airfare.<\/p>\n

The idea sounds, honestly, a bit dumb. But, it comes down to a branding thing. The name digital detox elicits some serious millennial burnout vibes \u2014 from someone who, like, just needs to get away from Instagram.<\/p>\n

However, a lot of the detox experiences we found online sound kind of cool \u2014 and geared toward a wide range of analog interests. For example, this blogger detailed her experience in Canada\u2019s Northwest Territories<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

This retreat was a snow-covered outdoor adventure where participants went cross country skiing, ice fishing, and more. There\u2019s also something like Camp Grounded<\/span><\/a>, an adult summer camp featuring everything from arts and crafts to archery, improv, and stargazing. No screens, of course.<\/p>\n

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Top 3 nature and wildlife apps<\/p>\r\n Read Now \u25ba<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

Tech addiction therapy<\/h2>\n

Tech addiction therapy, unsurprisingly, is a thing now. It makes sense \u2014 experts are pushing for official disorder status in the DSM-5, and people do experience a range of issues related to technology.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s reSTART, a residential facility for people addicted to the internet<\/a>, video gaming, social media, and gambling. In other cases, those who feel like they have a problem with technology addiction can seek the help of a traditional therapist that meets once a week.<\/p>\n

Smartphone addiction symptoms include things like feeling anxious, stressed, angry, or nervous when separated from the phone.<\/p>\n

Others experience a fear of being disconnected, a looming sense that something bad will happen if that person can\u2019t connect to the internet.<\/p>\n

Of course, there are likely several other ways that technology is impacting our mental health \u2014 for better or worse.<\/p>\n

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How to use Apple\u2019s new Screen Time controls for iOS<\/p>\r\n Read Now \u25ba<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

How much screen time is healthy?<\/h2>\n

\"Screen<\/p>\n

Screen time is a term that gets thrown around a lot, usually in the context of adults hand-wringing over the latest teen tech trends.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, there\u2019s no prescribed amount of screen time indicative of healthy use. We all have different jobs and obligations that dictate a good chunk of that screen time, anyway.<\/p>\n

That said, the average adult in the U.S. spends a whopping 11+ hours a day <\/a>looking at some type of screen<\/strong>, which really seems like a lot.<\/p>\n

Too much screen time could pose health risks: think back problems caused by poor posture or extended periods of sitting.<\/p>\n

Eating in front of a screen can make us become unaware of what we\u2019re eating \u2014 in some cases, causing us to eat more. And, there\u2019s the favorite tip — keep screens out of the bedroom, as the glowing blue lights can keep you awake.<\/p>\n

In all, though, it doesn\u2019t seem like being around the screen itself is all that bad \u2014 it\u2019s more a matter of remembering to eat well, exercise, and talk to actual people once in a while.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s healthy, however, depends on what you hope to change by spending less time online.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the verdict on digital detoxing?<\/h2>\n

Digital detoxes \u2014 vacation or not \u2014 are a great way to get back in touch with physical activity, human connection, and could be an opportunity to make time for something new.<\/p>\n

Obviously, we\u2019re starting to see evidence that technology has similar effects on our brains as addictive drugs\u2014and certainly qualifies as a behavioral addiction in the vein of sex or gambling addiction.<\/p>\n

Our skepticism likely comes from a place of disliking the name, \u201cdigital detox.\u201d However, like \u201cFriendsgiving,\u201d \u201cStaycation,\u201d or \u201cBromance\u201d digital detox is a good thing with a dumb name.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Spending too much time on your screens?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9161,"featured_media":128750,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":1},"categories":[1015],"tags":[1867,1748,1868],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-128386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-digital-detox","tag-mental-health","tag-screen-time"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t