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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Rhian Lubin

Researchers reveal the benefits of a two-week social media detox

  • The average American spends roughly four to five hours on their phone a day.
  • A PNAS Nexus study revealed that a two-week digital detox, involving blocking internet access on phones, improved participants' mood, attention, and mental health, and could effectively erase 10 years of age-related cognitive decline.
  • The study also indicated that even a partial or short-term digital detox can yield positive results for mental well-being.
  • Further research from Harvard, published in JAMA Network Open, showed that reducing smartphone use for just one week led to a decrease in anxiety, depression, and insomnia among participants.
  • Governments are beginning to respond to these concerns, with Massachusetts progressing a bill to ban social media for under-14s and Indonesia implementing a ban for under-16s.

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