Thank you, this was very interesting! I think it was the first time I read someone mention how we parents are not really able to log off completely due to school communication and that we are always assumed to be available and reachable. I recently read a fascinating study about how the mere presence of our phone in the room distracts us tremendously. It’s kind of like always expecting the mailman to ring the bell. Did you know that kids have a similar issue with toy clutter? In Germany “toy detox” has been established for decades to help kids reset. (I wrote about it here: https://scientistmom1.substack.com/p/is-a-cluttered-playroom-the-toddler )
Thank you, Jacqueline. This was a fascinating read. I've been incorporating a few of these to change my tech/social media usage and habits. It's really helped me to feel more alive, joyful and more optimistic.
Thank you Jacqueline for bringing nuance and compassion into a conversation that often turns moralistic. I appreciated how you distinguished between different kinds of harm instead of treating screen time as a single problem.
One insight your piece sparked is how clarity itself can be regulating: when we know why we’re disconnecting, guilt gives way to agency. That shift alone might be one of the most powerful mental health interventions we have.
Love your content, as always--such great interpretation of the science with my favorite kind of humor (don't we all black out a little when reading academic jargon??). Thank you for keeping it real!
welcome back! I, too, have been seeing all this "detox" talk, and it feels like another way of diet culture-ing ourselves, which I don't adore. that said, I do want to use my phone less! I have been charging my phone in another room at night and it seems ridiculous for it to feel so radical... but it really does!
Thank you so much! Yes, could not agree more with all of this. The word "detox" doesn't feel great AND I do want to be more intentional about my phone use! And also, yes, charging my phone outside my bedroom is maybe the best thing I've ever done?
Great article Jacqueline. The boundaries part really hit home. Very often I consider removing my email apps completely from my phone, I may give it a try!
For what is worth, my wife and I have been using an app called AppBlock which allows you to block either totally, for specific hours of the day, or enable just for a given amount of time a day (e.g. 10 mins of news a day). We can't override it ourselves. I have the code to unblock my wife's protections, and viceversa.
This has allowed us:
- not to use the phones before a given hour in the morning (7am for me, 8am for her)
- not use social media at alll
all
- limit some apps to a restricted amount of minutes a day.
Occasionally we unblock each other, forgetting to block back, and it's incredibly how fast we fall back to old habits.
I'm so glad to hear! That is so interesting - I've also tried the "moving apps around" approach and find that it works really well to break that automatic checking habit!
Thank you, this was very interesting! I think it was the first time I read someone mention how we parents are not really able to log off completely due to school communication and that we are always assumed to be available and reachable. I recently read a fascinating study about how the mere presence of our phone in the room distracts us tremendously. It’s kind of like always expecting the mailman to ring the bell. Did you know that kids have a similar issue with toy clutter? In Germany “toy detox” has been established for decades to help kids reset. (I wrote about it here: https://scientistmom1.substack.com/p/is-a-cluttered-playroom-the-toddler )
Love this and welcome back! So much of the digital detox talk misses some key points here, what a great resource.
Thanks so much Kathryn!
Thank you, Jacqueline. This was a fascinating read. I've been incorporating a few of these to change my tech/social media usage and habits. It's really helped me to feel more alive, joyful and more optimistic.
I'm so glad to hear!!
Thank you Jacqueline for bringing nuance and compassion into a conversation that often turns moralistic. I appreciated how you distinguished between different kinds of harm instead of treating screen time as a single problem.
One insight your piece sparked is how clarity itself can be regulating: when we know why we’re disconnecting, guilt gives way to agency. That shift alone might be one of the most powerful mental health interventions we have.
That's a great point - asking ourselves "why" is probably the most important first step!
Thank you Jacqueline again for this great post. And yes, it would be great we adults start asking "why" like kids. :)
Love your content, as always--such great interpretation of the science with my favorite kind of humor (don't we all black out a little when reading academic jargon??). Thank you for keeping it real!
Thank you so much Yael! Ha! I know I do!
welcome back! I, too, have been seeing all this "detox" talk, and it feels like another way of diet culture-ing ourselves, which I don't adore. that said, I do want to use my phone less! I have been charging my phone in another room at night and it seems ridiculous for it to feel so radical... but it really does!
Thank you so much! Yes, could not agree more with all of this. The word "detox" doesn't feel great AND I do want to be more intentional about my phone use! And also, yes, charging my phone outside my bedroom is maybe the best thing I've ever done?
This is very helpful! Thank you!
Thank you!
Great article Jacqueline. The boundaries part really hit home. Very often I consider removing my email apps completely from my phone, I may give it a try!
For what is worth, my wife and I have been using an app called AppBlock which allows you to block either totally, for specific hours of the day, or enable just for a given amount of time a day (e.g. 10 mins of news a day). We can't override it ourselves. I have the code to unblock my wife's protections, and viceversa.
This has allowed us:
- not to use the phones before a given hour in the morning (7am for me, 8am for her)
- not use social media at alll
all
- limit some apps to a restricted amount of minutes a day.
Occasionally we unblock each other, forgetting to block back, and it's incredibly how fast we fall back to old habits.
Hope this is helpful!
I'm so glad to hear! That is so interesting - I've also tried the "moving apps around" approach and find that it works really well to break that automatic checking habit!