Time-Specific Digital Detox Interventions: Effects and Effectiveness Among College Students

Smartphone overuse has been shown to negatively impact well-being. Digital detox interventions have been proposed as a method of curbing smartphone overuse; however, evidence is scant on the effectiveness of sustainable digital detox habits. The present study explores whether short, daily thirty-minute digital detox practices are effective in improving well-being. In a sample of 640 college students, we randomly assigned half to a control condition and the other half to one of three digital detox conditions: no use after waking up, no use before going to bed, and no use at a time of their choosing. In a daily diary design, we assessed participants’ daily affect over seven days while the manipulation lasted. Results indicated that participants found it difficult to comply even with such brief digital detox practices, and that there was no difference in daily affect between those who were assigned an intervention compared to the control group. However, when students successfully practiced digital detox before bed, they used their phones less and felt better the following day compared to control participants, and practicing digital detox in the morning more often was associated with better daily affect. Future research should examine how to help people practice digital detox more effectively, with a particular focus on curbing phone use at critical times of day, such as before and after sleep.