How to Disconnect From Your Phone

GRaham Dugoni got tired of seeing smartphones everywhere while living in San Francisco in 2014. So he decided to create device-free spaces for people like him: artists, educators, and anyone else who craved a digital break.

The result is Yondr, a physical way to unwind at concerts, schools, courtrooms, and private events. For example, if a touring musician chooses to use it, ticket holders will be informed in advance that when they arrive at the venue they will put their phone in a bag that will lock when closed. Patrons keep this bag with them but can only access their phone when going to specially designated areas away from the crowd. When they leave, the bags are unlocked.

“A lot of what we hear is that the show is just better,” says Dugoni. Some people report that after initially worrying about losing access to their phone – a limb of honor – the experience ultimately proved liberating. “People go out and say it’s incredible not to see a single smartphone. There’s more energy and it accentuates everything.”

The existence of YONDR sheds light on a problem – that people have practically merged with their phones – and the need for solutions.

Research links excessive smartphone use to a variety of physical and mental health problems, including fatigue and increased levels of depression and anxiety. Our phones distract our attention, tempt us to drive and walk dangerously, and expose us to online callousness and bullying, says Adam Alter, professor of marketing at NYU Stern School of Business and author of Irresistible: The Rise of Addiction Technology and the Business of Getting Us Addicted.

There are also broader societal concerns. “I find [disconnecting] is important for everyone,” says Alter. “It’s important for kids to develop stronger social skills and relationships when they’re not behind screens. It’s important for adults, who are more likely to connect with others when they spend time offline rather than glued to their screens. And it’s important for communities that are impoverished when their public spaces are filled with hundreds or thousands of people who sit in public but spend time alone behind screens.”

Here’s what you need to know about the signs of smartphone addiction, its health implications, and the most effective ways to switch off.

Symptoms of phone addiction

Being glued to our phones 24/7 is not yet recognized as an addiction in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), although the term is used colloquially. Many experts in the field use the term “problematic smartphone use” instead.

“By problematic, we mean that your smartphone use is affecting different areas of your life,” says Jay Olson, a postdoctoral researcher in psychology at McGill University who researched the topic. “It could affect your concentration. It could be that using your phone makes you feel less social. It could be that you sleep less well because you stay up late and scroll through your phone.”

Olson’s research is based on the Smartphone Addiction Scale, which was developed in South Korea about a decade ago and is now used around the world. Answering “yes” to questions like these might indicate a problem:

• Do you miss scheduled work due to smartphone use?
• Are you impatient and worried when you don’t have your phone in your hands?
• Are you constantly checking your phone so you don’t miss what’s happening on social apps like Twitter or Instagram?
• Do people tell you that you use your smartphone too much?
• Are you losing track of how long you’ve been using the device?

Problematic smartphone use probably affects most adults in the US, says Dr. Anna Lembke, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University and author of Dopamine nation: finding balance in the age of indulgence. “My feeling is that it affects almost everyone who currently has a device. The digital content is just so enticing and we have such easy access.”

How phone addiction affects physical and mental health

Phones are not good or bad per se, says Dr. Jason Nagata, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. Our devices provide many important functions, such as communication and connection, that can benefit our health. But an inability to detach from your screen could have harmful effects.

One of the biggest potential effects has to do with sleep. Researchers have found that problematic smartphone use is associated with reduced overall sleep time and reduced sleep quality. “Blue light can suppress melatonin, which would otherwise help you fall asleep,” says Nagata. “And notifications, ringtones or noise throughout the night can definitely disrupt your sleep.”

Plus, smartphone addiction can derail your time and attention so you can spend less on healthier pursuits. In 2021, adults around the world spent an average of 4.8 hours a day on their phones, according to app monitoring firm App Annie — a record high. “When people spend a lot of time on their phones, it takes time away from other important activities like exercising and socializing,” says Nagata. “There is not much free time for physical activity or other things.”

Research shows that smartphone use can be particularly harmful for teens and children. A 2021 study co-authored by Nagata found that screen time in 9- and 10-year-olds was linked to binge eating disorders. “Teens can binge eat even when they’re not hungry when they’re distracted by phones and screens, leading to weight gain,” he says. Another 2021 study found that phone use and texting led to higher BMI and weight gain in teens, and a 2022 analysis links excessive phone use to disruptive behavioral disorders, such as depression. B. oppositional defiant disorder, in children.

There are myriad mental health implications too. According to a review published in 2022, excessive smartphone use – which has intensified during the pandemic – can exacerbate the severity of anxiety and lead to psychiatric symptoms, stress and depression. Another recent study concluded that problematic smartphone use correlates with suicidal thoughts and even suicide attempts.

“The question is always: chicken or egg?” says Lembke. “Were they depressed and anxious and as a result spending more time on their devices, or did time online make them depressed and anxious? I’d say it’s probably a bit of both.”

How to disconnect your phone

No need to sacrifice your device. Small changes can make a big difference. Experts recommend these research-backed strategies:

Gather your notifications

Turn off the sounds and banners that flash across your screen letting you know you want to watch a new Facebook message, email, or TikTok video. Instead, stack them so that they all come at once, either hourly or less frequently. Research shows that this can reduce stress. “It makes it less likely that you’ll pick up your phone and then get caught in this maelstrom,” Olson says, mindlessly scrolling without realizing that half an hour has passed.

Make your phone less accessible

One of the best ways to disconnect from your phone is to physically walk away from it. “Let’s say you have your small workstation at home – try to leave your phone behind on the shelf,” advises Olson. Much of our phone use is mindless, so “putting up those little barriers, like holding it face down behind you” can be effective. Keeping your phone in a different room while you sleep is another particularly helpful strategy, he adds.

Hide social media apps

Drag all your social and email apps into a folder that doesn’t appear on your home screen, so it takes some work to open them, Olson suggests. Better yet, delete them from your phone and only access them through your laptop, which can drastically cut down on the time you spend on them.

Make it harder to unlock your phone

Instead of using handy features like Face ID, you use a passcode that you have to enter manually. Researchers have found that such a delay before accessing your phone can reduce usage.

Make a list

Before you pick up your phone, make a list of exactly what you want to accomplish with it: maybe checking your email, finding a recipe for dinner, and texting a few friends. After you pick it up, don’t do anything that’s not on your list, Lembke suggests.

Set your phone screen to grayscale

Manipulating your settings to suck all the color from your display can actually help reduce screen time and anxiety. “That makes the phone a little less attractive,” says Olson. “We’re kind of conditioned to clicking on these notifications, and when they’re black and white, we notice them a little less.”

Opt for old technology

Olson has always been a slow adopter of technology; When smartphones first became popular in the early 2010s, he decided to hold out and see what the impact was before getting one. He has been using the iPhone SE, an older model of the device presented in 2016, for about five years. “I try to buy the smallest phone I can and then keep it for as long as possible,” he says. “It’s a bit harder to type and doesn’t have the best apps and updates – because that’s not exactly the life I want.”

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