Digital Detox: Creating Healthy Technology Boundaries

Over the past few decades, technology has come to serve a highly important place within our society. It has improved our communication methods, connecting people around the world in an instant. It has encouraged us to become more efficient, even more so with the use of AI tools like ChatGPT. And it has made information and education vastly more accessible.

In acknowledging these benefits, we must also look at the negative side of technology. Social media has been proven to have detrimental effects on mental health, particularly that of adolescents and young adults.

Many frequent users of social media and technology suffer from low self-esteem, exacerbated mental illness, and reduced sleep quality. Additionally, while technology has allowed us to connect with people all over the world, it has also been shown to reduce our in-persona social interactions, creating a loneliness epidemic.

Creating Technology Boundaries

One of the best ways to reduce the negative effects technology has on your mental wellbeing is to create technology boundaries. These will help you create some space between technology and all of your everyday tasks.

How and Why Do You Use Tech:

The first step in creating tech boundaries is to identify how and why you currently use your technology. Try using the questions below to reflect on your tech usage:

1. What are the primary goals or tasks you use technology to accomplish in your daily life?
2. How often do you find yourself using different types of technology (e.g., smartphone, laptop, wearable devices) during the day?
3. How does using technology make you feel — does it reduce stress, create stress, or serve as a neutral tool?
4. Are there times when you deliberately step away from technology? If so, what motivates those breaks, and what do you gain from them?
5. Do you use technology more out of necessity (work, communication, navigation) or by choice (entertainment, social media, hobbies)?

By answering these questions honestly, you can identify what places technology serves in your life.

What Are Your Goals:

After you have parsed that out, figure out what your goals are in reducing your technology usage. Are you hoping to find more time to read? Or reconnect with family and friends? It’s important to know what your priorities are so you feel motivated to continue your digital detox, even when it feels inconvenient or difficult.

Find Alternative Solutions:

Once you have answered these questions, you can begin alternative solutions to tech. For example, if you want to reduce your daily distractions and you use your phone for your to-do list or calendar, could you reasonably replace it with a paper version? Or if you want to reduce your screen time but you find yourself turning to tech for entertainment, could you try reading a book or doing a crossword? By identifying alternatives to technology that still satisfy your day-to-day routine and goals, you will find yourself more encouraged to stick with detox.

Tips for Stepping Away from Technology

Dedicate Tech-Free Zones: Create places in your home where technology isn’t allowed. This could be your bed, your bathroom, your balcony or patio; anywhere that you feel could be better utilized if technology was banned. Many people find that keeping your phone out of your bedroom promotes better sleep and reduces restlessness.

Utilize Time Limits on Your Tech: Many tech companies have included a built-in tool that allows for self-imposed time limits. These can be put on certain apps or types of apps, such as social media and networking apps. You could even restrict your phone usage before or after a certain time of day. Utilizing time limits in tandem with banning your phone from the bedroom could help to better your sleep quality and reduce screen time.

Make a List of Things You Want to Do Instead: By creating a list of activities or tasks you would rather do than be on your technology, you can create better free-time habits. For example, if you find yourself with an hour of free time in the middle of the day, you may be tempted to turn to your phone for entertainment. However, if you have your list handy that says that you would rather read, go for a walk, or make a new recipe, then you can retrain your brain to think of those activities before screen time.

Pick Up a New Hobby: If you find that there isn’t much you want to do besides going on your technology, perhaps it’s time to try out a new hobby. Find something that interests you and begin spending your free time learning all about it. Whether you want to try knitting, running, woodworking, or even meditating, there are tons of resources to use and hours to practice.