By Michaela Gordoni
Generations that were raised on screens are starting to see the benefits of taking a phone break.
There’s a recent trend of digital detoxing called “appstinence,” a play on abstinence. Millennials and Gen Z are the primary groups following the trend. The detoxers report being more productive and having better attention spans as a result, Newsweek reported last month.
Some dumb phones, like Light Phone, lack access to social media and email. Third-party apps can help dumb-ify smartphones by blocking access to browsers and social media for set periods of time.
“Most of being disconnected for me has been through two themes: finding joy in time-bound opportunities to ditch the phone and removing apps from my phone,” one detoxer said. “I’d say I’ve been periodically disconnected from my phone for nearly my whole adult life.”
“My phone usage as a whole dropped by a further like, 40%, and my Facebook usage went from posting several times a day, to posting once or twice a year overnight because I had to go all the way to my [personal computer], or open the browser and navigate there,” they said of ditching their smartphone.
Some argue that phones aren’t necessarily the problem, but social media is. Most social media platforms are designed to be highly addictive.
“I’m having to tell my own kids that ‘when the time comes,’ not to use their phone as much as I do,” one person said, highlighting the problem of parents using phones and setting a bad example. “It’s like an alcoholic or a 10-pack smoker father-figure having to tell their kids, ‘Do as I say, not as I do — or you’ll turn out like this.'”
Related: Adolescence Screen Time Spikes Risk of This Mental Health Disorder
Gabriela Nguyen, 24, founded the appstinence movement. It consists of five steps: Decrease, deactivate, delete, downgrade and depart. The process aims to gradually adjust smartphone users to a social-media-free or dumb phone lifestyle, Fast Company reported.
Nguyen recalled that as a youth she “spent endless hours manufacturing my public image. As a teenage girl stumbling and growing into her body, I found temporary relief from the ‘likes’ I would get from a selfie or a boastful post,” she said.
“It wasn’t until I completely deleted my profiles — opting instead for direct-line communication like phone calls, video calls, and texting — that I could stop fighting for my attention, time, and self-esteem. But my ‘appstinence’ only came after a tireless battle for ‘moderate use.’”
She argues that while social media can have benefits, overall, “it’s simply not worth it,” and others agree.
“The struggle to corral Big Tech has only begun,” Nguyen said, “and we must band together to keep the momentum going.”
It’s encouraging to see young people ditching screens for real-life relationships.
Read Next: Another Study Proves Just How Damaging Screen Time Is On Mental Health
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