Digital Detox and Well-Being

Abstract

In a May 2023 advisory, the US Surgeon General raised concerns about the effects of social media use on well-being. One implied strategy to reduce its impact is abstaining from digital media use. This state-of-the-art review summarizes the most recent studies on reducing or abstaining from digital media use, including social media (ie, "digital detox") and its effect on well-being to inform parents, educators, schools, policymakers, and the public when taking action. In June 2023, we conducted a literature search in Google Scholar, PubMed, and ScienceDirect. We included reviews and original research articles (1) focusing on interventions to reduce screen time/social media time and (2) its impact on/association with well-being. We summarized the key points of the 2 published reviews and 6 articles (published between 2013 and 2023), including 139 articles in total. Our main findings are: there is no clear definition of digital detox and no consistency in the assessment of interventions' effectiveness;reducing social media/smartphone time rather than promoting total abstinence showed more beneficial effects on well-being;the effect of the interventions and their duration varies depending on the type of outcome; andthe effects are influenced by gender, age, and contextual factors. Available evidence on interventions aiming at reducing social media use on well-being is limited, leaving no clear implications for policymaking at this point. More empirical, high-quality research is needed to understand the circumstances under which digital detox interventions are helpful and for whom.