Is Your Screen Time Taking a Toll on Your Mental Health? Here are 3 Digital Detox Challenges to Try

We’re 90’s babies, we love the internet. We grew up in an age where technology was starting to push into society more and more, but there was still a fine line between personal connection with people and a healthy amount of screen time. We like to think of it as a golden age of having access to simplicity and increased convenience with the click of mouse.

Growing up, we found value in reading blog posts for information, watching Youtube videos for inspiration and using our flip phone to innocently text our friends when we actually thought about. Screen time was a luxury that  only consumed a minute portion of our day, while other activities like playing outside, cooking with our mom, making silly videos on our digital camera and walking to our local gas station for a 7-11 Slurpee was on the forefront of our agenda.

Today, it’s more than just the nostalgia in us that has us yearning for less screen time and more connection. As more forms of social media continue to be developed, more fast-trends come and go, and the pressure to constantly change your approach to the world of influence increases, we both feel the need to take a step away and recharge our souls in a different way.

While we can’t completely limit ourselves from social media (since it’s huge part of our job and business), we long for more time spent on things that challenge our attention span, help us grow and give us genuine perspective of real life. 

If you’re feeling pulled down by social media and increased screen time is taking away from more productions things you could be doing, a digital detox may be a good idea. We’ve broken down what it means to digitally detox and share 3 powerful digital detox challenges to try this year.

What is a digital detox challenge?

A digital detox challenge is when you abstain from using any digital products or social media applications for a period of time. 

This could be as simple as deleting social media applications all together or completely limiting time spent on your smartphone, tablet or computer.

The goal is to limit your screen time and fill it with more meaningful and real connections and stimulating activities.

What are some activities you do for a digital detox challenge?

While on a digital detox, you’ll quickly find that you have quite a bit more free time by not scrolling on your devices. If you’re curious about some activities you can do to fill your time here are some we suggest:

What are the benefits of a digital detox?

As you start and continue with your digital detox, you’ll begin to notice some benefits of taking time away from your screen. Some of the benefits may be:

5 Signs You Should Start a Digital Detox

There are many reasons as to why you may be feeling like you need to digitally detox, but making yourself aware of some unhealthy habits may alert you to start a digital detox yourself. Here are 5 signs of someone who may need to start a digital detox:

1. You’re scrolling on social media for more and an hour at a time. 

We are 100% guilty of this and this is the main reason why we chose to do a digital detox ourselves. At night we got in the habit of scrolling on Tiktok before going to sleep and before we knew it, the clock read 12:00 a.m. and we’d spent over an hour on the app. We absolutely despised using up all that time we could have been reading a book (or just sleeping). If you find yourself doing this as well, a digital detox may be something to consider.

2. You reach for your phone every time you have a free moment, there’s a pause in interaction while conversing with friends or scrolling on every commercial break. 

We’re also guilty of doing all these things, and although we’ve become way more mindful of it, it’s still something we want to combat. It’s actually quite rewarding when we challenge yourself to sit in the silence with friends, try a new activity in your free time, or sitting though and actually watching the commercials in between your favorite weeknight show.

3. Shorter attention span. 

As forms of social media increase their use of short-form content, more people are feel the affects of a short attention span. Spending time on these apps has quickly changed the amount of information people are able to comprehend and retain. Plus, it could decreases productivity in the workplace, school and at home. We found this article about dwindling attention spans due to social media really interesting. 

4. You’re taking in too much information.

If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed and increasingly anxious by the amount of information you’re consuming, it may be time for a digital detox. Taking in that much information is a LOT. If it’s taking a toll on you mentally and physically, quitting social media could be the best answer.

5. If you find yourself constantly hopping from one social media app to the next to find gratification. 

We too are guilty of going from one social media site to the other to satisfy our need for content. If our algorithm on Instagram isn’t “doing it for us”, we immediately hop over to Tiktok to check if people are saying things on there that we want to hear. When we find ourselves doing this, it’s a huge red flag that we need to step away from social media for a time.

3 Digital Detox Challenges to Try in 2024

1. Morning Digital Detox

If you’re wanting a light digital detox to ease yourself into the idea of disconnecting from your phone throughout the day, fasting from social media in the morning is a great idea.

Pro tip: If you use your phone alarm to wake up, try using a traditional alarm clock. We love the Hatch alarm, because it wakes you up with soothing sounds and light that mimics the natural sunrise.

How it works:

From the time you wake up in the morning, refrain from looking or using your phone for a couple of hours. 

For example, if you wake up a 6:00 in the morning to go to work, challenge yourself to not look on your phone for 2-3 hours (or until you get to the office in the morning). You’ll be surprised at how refreshing this simple detox is in the morning. You’ll be more focused to take on the day.

2. 7-Day Detox

If you’re looking for a more challenging digital detox, try this 7-day detox. This is a great way to exercise your mind and body away from social media — giving you a new challenge every day. We like how is slowly progresses into a bigger challenge every day.