As juries begin holding tech giants to account for smartphone addiction, the Washington Post takes a look at research that may offer up some hope for those whose phones rarely leave their hands. The study, published in PNAS Nexus, found that you may be able to undo years of fallout in just two weeks—by turning that hand-held computer into something closer to a flip phone. A 14-day "digital detox" from smartphone use improved attention and mood enough to roughly offset a decade of typical age-related cognitive decline. "All of us have a somewhat unhealthy relationship with our phones," says study co-author Kostadin Kushlev, a psychology professor at Georgetown University.
In the study of 467 adults, participants used an app to shut off internet access on their phones, allowing only calls and texts. Average daily online time was cut nearly in half, and people reported better focus, lower depression, and higher well-being—benefits that often persisted even among those who cheated. "So you don't have to necessarily restrict yourself forever. Even taking a partial digital detox, even for a few days, seems to work," says Kushlev. A separate Harvard study in JAMA Network Open of about 400 people found that just a week of reduced smartphone use was linked to double-digit drops in anxiety, depression, and insomnia. "For some people, their use is too much or too little, and for others it's just right," says study lead author John Torous, a professor at Harvard Medical School. "To identify who is harmed by it is very important."
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