Digital Detox

I had a paradoxical epiphany recently while I was holding and looking at the screen of my Android. In the age of technology where almost anything can be accessed by the kiss of a fingertip and a touchscreen, I started to contemplate what negative effects of screen time could I ascertain through a week of digital detox. I wondered if being bereft of technological advantages would make me feel prehistorically inept when I rendered my phone to a mere land line— eschewing all apps and cheat codes afforded by the bells and whistles of a smart phone that facilitate the simplest daily tasks.

I mean, I know a few numbers by heart and that handful is represented by numbers that were and are still land lines, like my parent’s home telephone number. The other is my own phone number. I don’t know anyone else’s number. I pondered if others within my social milieu would view me as antiquation personified, seeing that I was no longer equipped with the device dexterity most use to handle day-to-day life. I also mused of the pendulum of time, being that I’d swing back to when we weren’t so deluged with these rectangular pacifiers.

I set out to do two things. One, I researched the negative effects of screen time and two, I observed other people’s usage of their screens through empirical data by proximity of the people that I know in my life and others within the radius of the public. Beginning with my research through psychological and scientific publications such as “Psychology Today,” I discovered that some studies link higher levels of screen time to heightened symptoms of depression. This wasn’t difficult to grasp as most people spend an inordinate amount of time scrolling social media, hypnotized by the highlight reels of others. Once one gets into a routine of binding themselves to the comparative trap with others, the engineered algorithm of like attracts like allures you towards more shipwreck despondency more posts become The Sirens incarnate.

Other studies claimed neglection of responsibilities. I can attest that screen time greases the wheels of pleasure when I’m aiming to maintain parked responsibility. Another study stated that many people use screens to deal with stress and feel anxious without a device. I can admit that one of the coping mechanisms I employ when I get mad is to bury myself in my phone—blocking out the person I’m upset with in order prevent myself from engaging in further argument or saying something mean. I also know I’ve been anxious without my phone in that same situation because I’ve grown accustomed the training wheels of conflict resolution. I searched more and some of the physical symptoms of too much screen time listed were physical strain to your eyes and body, sleep deprivation, increased risk of obesity, susceptibility to chronic health conditions, loss of cognitive ability, impaired socializing skills, weakened emotional judgment, and delayed learning in young children.

Lo and behold, once I started to observe my surroundings, I saw a plethora of these effects. I mainly noticed the effects in children and adolescents, two demographics that I coined “screen babies” because children and adolescents didn’t live at a time without mobile screens. The children and adolescents I observed that shall be shrouded in confidentially use screens for about six hours a day on school days and I’d estimate around ten hours a day on weekends. Most of these hours are a combination of gaming and YouTube.

Just as the studies claimed, the excessive screen time contributed to the neglection of their responsibilities, inability to deal with stress, and prominent anxiety without their devices when they were taken away. They used the bathroom and ate with their devices nearby with the only time away from the device being when they were asleep. I observed an adolescent lie on his back for 72 hours like a mannequin that had been pushed over after his computer and phone were taken away. I watched a child throw a tantrum every time they had to be separated from their phone. This excessive time wasn’t only on them, and the circumstance I observed carried many dynamics such as the overwhelmed parents involved— the other side of the spectrum that doesn’t necessarily merit culpability in this age of technological tethering of human attention.

Some social media gurus refer to attention as an asset and if you study the sweet science of branding and marketing, you’ll be able to surmise that companies like McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Facebook (now Meta) to name a few have invested in our attention as stock for quite some time. Adults are not exempt nor stronger in resisting the temptation of a screen. During my 7-day abstinence from my own screen, my vision, albeit I’ve always had 20/20 vision, became clearer in a myriad of ways (physical strain to your eyes and body). I stay in good physical condition as an active adult, but I noticed that my body wasn’t sore when I converted sedentary time on the computer to more time being active (physical strain to your eyes and body). I slept more sound, uninterrupted by text messages or calls after I had fallen asleep. I also fell asleep faster adopting the 4-7-8 breathing method over looking at my phone before I went to bed (sleep deprivation). I lost 3 pounds during my gadget hiatus (increased risk of obesity). My tracked lifestyle was healthier (susceptibility to chronic health conditions). I was able to think more clearly about things and my critical thinking was stronger without the apparatus aid. I talked more with random strangers at places like grocery stores where I’d normally watch YouTube or scroll Instagram while waiting in line for the cashier (impaired socializing skills). I wasn’t as mercurial or reactionary (weakened emotional judgment).

At the end of 7 days, I realized that none of us are immune to the trials and tribulations of navigating this technological terrain and with the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (No, I do not believe A.I. will annihilate the human species like The Terminator as I believe it’s useful in moderation like anything else), I now at least know that I can step away from it when need be to maintain the pause and continuum of breathing our collective organism needs to remain a sentient life form.