Constant connection harms mental health

Summary: Less screen time improves mood and mental fitness

A recent article published on Feb. 18, 2025 (Blocking mobile internet on smartphones improves sustained attention, mental health, and subjective well-being) (1) investigated the effects of removing constant internet access through smartphones for one month.
The subjects could still text and call but blocked all other internet features. It also lets them access the web through desktops or laptops. It found that 91% of the participants showed an improvement in at least one of the following factors: mental health, well-being, and attention. People spent more time socializing in person, exercising, and going outdoors.

Excessive Device Use and Your Well-Being

90% of Americans own a smartphone and spend an average of 4 hours and 36 minutes using it every day!

80% of young adults (under 30) worry they use their smartphone too much.

Previous research reported that smartphone use affects mental health and cognition.

This randomized study used 467 participants who agreed to use an app that cut off all mobile internet access (Wi-Fi and mobile data) for two weeks. They were still allowed to go online and access the internet using tablets, notebooks, or desktops. They could also phone or text.

The findings confirmed the negative effects of being online 24/;

We report... that blocking mobile internet for 2 weeks reduces smartphone use and improves subjective well-being (SWB) (including life satisfaction and positive affect), mental health (more than antidepressants), and sustained attention (as much as being 10 years younger). Noah Castelo, Kostadin Kushlev, Adrian F Ward, Michael Esterman, Peter B Reiner, (2024) (1)

The reason that smartphones hurt our mental health is because they interfere with other activities like exercising, socializing in person, or going outdoors. They also provide a constant distraction, interrupting ongoing activities and this drains our mental resources, as we try to avoid these distractions. Having a world of information at our fingertips can prove to hard to manage.

Outcomes

The study found that phone screen time use dropped to half, from 314 minutes a day to 161 minutes.

Attention and Mental Focus

The improvement in the subjects' ability to focus and concentrate (sustained attention) was equivalent to reverting "10 years of age-related decline and about a quarter of the difference between healthy adults and those with ADHD."

Less Depression

The impact on depression symptoms "was larger than the meta-analytic effect of antidepressants and similar to that of cognitive behavioral therapy."

More Offline World Life

The participants spent more time in the "real" offline world and much less time consuming social media online. They did, however, spend the same time in digital communications (talking and texting) and more time connecting in person.

Time spent sleeping increased, and their feeling of self-control and mood improved. These changes were progressive, increasing as time passed. They also persisted.

References and Further Reading

(1) Noah Castelo, Kostadin Kushlev, Adrian F Ward, Michael Esterman, Peter B Reiner, (2025). Blocking mobile internet on smartphones improves sustained attention, mental health, and subjective well-being. PNAS Nexus, Volume 4, Issue 2, February 2025, pgaf017, https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf017