Digital detox: The effect of smartphone abstinence on mood, anxiety, and craving

Wilcockson, Thomas; Osborne, A.; Ellis, David

doi:10.31234/osf.io/c85kx

Cited by 14 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 16 publications

(19 reference statements)

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“…Smartphone users also reported feelings of extreme anxiety and cognitive delays on separation from their smartphones. Some work has measured the effects of smartphone abstinence (for up to 24 hours) on short-term outcomes such as mood, anxiety and craving and reported similar findings [57] [58]. These findings highlight the effects of smartphone overuse on cognitive control and emotion-related dysfunctional coping processes related to screen media use.…”

Section: Mental Health and Well Beingmentioning

confidence: 57%

Rethinking Screen Time during COVID-19: Impact on Psychological Well-Being in Physiotherapy Students

Akulwar-Tajane¹,

Parmar²,

Naik³

et al. 2020

IJCEMR

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We do not just use technology; we live with it. Much more deeply than ever before, we are aware that interacting with technology involves us emotionally, intellectually, and sensually. As the popularity of the internet and digital devices grows so do concerns over their excessive use. This is worth drawing attention to, though, considering the widely established consequences excessive screen time can have on someone's sleep, mental and physical health. This paper describes the pattern of screen use, sleep and psychological well being in physiotherapy students during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. The study also throws light on the fact that physical exercises could be a mediating factor for effect on sleep pattern and overall perception of well-being. A representative sample of 150 Physiotherapy students was surveyed to assess technology use, sleep pattern, mental and physical health through a self-reported questionnaire. Around 52% students admitted that excessive screen use has affected their sleep quality and linked it to sleeping problems such as reduced sleep durations with mobile phone use-awakenings. 48% of the students believe that excessive hours spent in front of the screen has affected their physical well being and 28.7% of students reported negative effects on their mental health. 65.27% of the exercising participants experienced beneficial effects due to performance of physical exercises and reported decreased sleeping complaints or mental health issues. The present study strengthens the existing scientific evidence for the negative impact of excessive screen time on mental and physical health while providing new insights on the digital media use during pandemic situation. In addition, this study also attempts to determine the mediating effect of physical exercise on ill effects of screen use.

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Section: Mental Health and Well Beingmentioning

confidence: 57%

Rethinking Screen Time during COVID-19: Impact on Psychological Well-Being in Physiotherapy Students

Akulwar-Tajane¹,

Parmar²,

Naik³

et al. 2020

IJCEMR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Chambers [ 84 ] makes the distinction between content gratification and process gratification, where process gratification has less to do with SM content, but the process of accessing SM for entertainment or escapism, suggesting that habitual behaviours derive not from SM content, but the process of scrolling with the finger to occupy the mind [ 44 ]. Although participants substituted behaviours, FoMO, MWB, and SC changes were significant, suggesting that habitual SM scrolling behaviours may have a more negative impact on wellbeing than scrolling on non-SM applications, supported in Wilcoxon et al’s [ 85 ] study of smartphone abstinence where participants’ mood and anxiety remained unchanged. This suggests that negative outcomes of SMU may be related to negative exposure to SM content [ 25 , 72 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Fear of Missing Out, Mental Wellbeing, and Social Connectedness: A Seven-Day Social Media Abstinence Trial

Brown

Kuss

2020

IJERPH

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Smartphones aid the constant accessibility of social media (SM) applications, and these devices and platforms have become a key part of our everyday lives and needs. Previous research has focused on the psychological impact of social media use (SMU) and SM abstinence has only received limited attention. Therefore, employing a combination of an experimental within-subjects mixed methodology using surveys to obtain both quantitative and qualitative data, this study aimed to compare psychosocial factors of fear of missing out (FoMO), mental wellbeing (MWB), and social connectedness (SC) before and after seven days of SM abstinence. Results revealed that participants (N = 61) experienced a significant increase in MWB and SC, and a significant decrease in FoMO and smartphone use following SM abstinence. There was a significant positive relationship between MWB and SC change scores and a significant negative relationship between SC and FoMO change scores. There were no significant differences in levels of SMU before abstinence or across genders in FoMO, MWB, and SC change scores. Thematic analysis revealed coping, habit, and boredom as motivations for SMU, and notification distractions presenting a challenge for successful abstinence from SM. Participants indicated that abstinence resulted in the perceived need to fill their time with non-SM applications. Finally, thematic analysis revealed mixed experiences of perceived connectivity in the absence of SMU. Findings present implications for the importance of unplugging from SM for temporary periods because scrolling through SM to fill time is a key motivator of SMU, and notifications encourage SMU and trigger FoMO.

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“…Craving was the only dimension significantly reported by participants. Besides the small number of participants (45) and the short time over which they were separated from their phones, the experiment does not capture the difference between losing access to all digital activities and social media specifically [25,26]. A common challenge is to establish the threshold at which the essential contribution of social networks in personal, academic and professional life is overshadowed by negative interference through overutilization or impact on mental health.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of social media ‘detoxification’ in university students

El‐Khoury

Haidar

Kanj

et al. 2020

Libyan Journal of Medicine

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The multiplication of social networking sites has led to increased frequency of use among young adults. While the association with mental wellbeing is still controversial, high levels of social media use were correlated with problematic behaviours, low self-esteem and depressive symptoms. 'Social Media Detoxification' (Detox) is the term used to describe voluntary attempts at reducing or stopping social media use to improve wellbeing. We conducted a pilot study to explore the characteristics of social media detoxification applied by 68 university students in their social media activity. Descriptive analysis revealed that most students reported a positive change in mood, reduced anxiety and improved sleep during and in the immediate aftermath of the detoxification period. These preliminary findings show that 'social media detoxification' is a phenomenon understood and used by university students to moderate their social media use. Wide variability in its application and effects is noted in our sample.

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Digital detox: The effect of smartphone abstinence on mood, anxiety, and craving

Cited by 14 publications

References 16 publications

Rethinking Screen Time during COVID-19: Impact on Psychological Well-Being in Physiotherapy Students

Rethinking Screen Time during COVID-19: Impact on Psychological Well-Being in Physiotherapy Students

Fear of Missing Out, Mental Wellbeing, and Social Connectedness: A Seven-Day Social Media Abstinence Trial

Characteristics of social media ‘detoxification’ in university students

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