It flickers, gently at first, but swiftly extending strobe lights across the darkened walls; a lighthouse in a sea of desperation. Your eyes stay locked on the same few thousand pixels, alternating attention between a fictitious folder of platforms. Right before the sun rises, time has escaped and taken with it any confidence there once was. But, like a moth to a flame, you can’t help but to return tomorrow.
This cycle is all too known and all too common, specifically amongst young adults. The epidemic of smartphone addictions has instilled generational issues spilling out into every aspect of our lives. It’s in the way we interact, the way we work, and the way we feel. Devices of 2025 have the power to connect and create, but they also have the power to control and consume. And when one is teetering on the edge of this dangerous balance, it’s essential that a digital detox is taken.
The term “digital detox” was first coined in 2012, but with the sharp influx of smartphone ownership since then, the treatment has taken on an entirely new importance. A digital detox can be adapted to fit individual needs, but principally attempts to improve aspects of one’s social and physical wellbeing by restricting the usage of devices and online platforms for a designated period of time. Due to the surge in screen addiction with 50% of US teens recording a screen time of four or more hours each day, assessing one’s screen time has become less optional.
There are many harmful side effects from the overuse of screen times, many of which are related to what is now known as ‘doom scrolling’. Psychologists have found that a constant overutilization of screens and social media platforms can trigger excessive stimulation to the brain’s reward center. This then leads to symptoms akin to addiction, making it challenging to find the will to stop, and thus ‘scrolling to your doom’.
Once in this perpetual state of usage, many studies find that it can lead individuals to difficulty sleeping, shortened attention spans, and the culmination of depressive symptoms. All of these side effects are nowhere near worth the momentary reward of scrolling, and should be taken seriously in considering the impact devices are making in one’s life.
Another of the deadliest and silent killers of the digital age is comparative culture. Though it can take many more complex and analytical forms, in regards to social media, it refers to a cycle of constantly contrasting oneself to others, often leaving a residue of dissatisfaction. This, above all else, is amplified by social media. Being constantly surrounded by cherry-picked imagery of others’ success can be as deadly as any disease. When overused, this can lead to a deteriorating self esteem and poor body image, often culminating in eating disorders. It’s impossible to meet the expectations of constantly changing beauty standards, and with social media, it’s also impossible to escape them.
According to a study conducted by the Department of Paediatrics and Psychiatry in Toronto, a direct link can be found between social media usage and the development of warped body image. Among girls 15 to 19 years old, 44% said they were overweight while 60% were actively trying to lose weight. Most, if not all, of these young girls met the average weight ranges for their age.
Despite the evident and ailing side effects of devices, it would be ignorant to deny their necessity to the modern world. They serve as tools to connect families, spread awareness and news, and allow many a creative outlet. The key is to find a healthy balance and learn how to use a phone, not let a phone use you. Many times, this can be through adaptive versions of a digital detox.
There are many alternatives to entirely unplugging that still yield an improved wellbeing. One of the easiest alternative solutions is a digital cleanse. Rather than restricting screen time, restricting the digital content one consumes can also have beneficial effects on health. This cleanse can be attempted by unfollowing accounts that don’t positively impact your feed, deleting unnecessary apps, and following positive groups to uplift your digital intake.
Furthermore, there are many in-app features that allow for more specific content management and restrictions. Instagram, for example, enables users to prevent certain accounts from appearing in their feed. Sensitive Content Control also provides a wide spread of restriction options to fully tailor Explore, Search, Reels pages, and more. Taking the initiative to fully detox the content you consume can be the first step in contriving a more positively affecting feed.
Another more creative alternative could be turning your phone to its grayscale setting, removing any color from your screen. This solution has proven to remove the visual appeal of many platforms and thus induce a withdrawal from many addictive habits over time. Others may choose to simply take advantage of the ‘Do Not Disturb’ settings that allow one to restrict the incoming notifications and improve upon the consistency of picking up a device.
Finally, for those who are searching for a more concrete solution to a larger issue, deleting, hiding, or restricting entire apps with screen time settings is the most effective route to take. This is one of the more extreme ways to detox without entirely taking away a phone, but still enables users to experience a withdrawal from platforms consuming their lives.
Everyone will have different approaches to digitally detoxing, which is why it’s important to assess what is necessary and appropriate for you. However, it is undeniable that devices have taken over the modern age, especially with the need to restrict their usage during school.
Still, these devices are not going away anytime soon, and so we must ask ourselves: How many Instagram posts, Snapchats, and Tiktoks are worth the deterioration of our health? How many hours wasted scrolling are worth losing touch with the world around us?
There is no way around the surge of the digital world, which makes it even more crucial to learn how to manage it. For many young and impressionable minds, a digital detox can be the only way to break the cycle and establish a healthier future with screens.
