Digital detox during Easter: addictive phone use is a much more serious and widespread problem than we think

Why is digital fasting important now?

According to a survey in late 2024, the average American uses their mobile phone for 5 hours and 1 minute a day. That’s almost two and a half months a year, or 76 full days of screen time in a year. The data is staggering, especially when we consider that in 2011, screen time spent on mobile phones was only 46 minutes, and in 2016, it was 3 hours and 8 minutes. In a generational comparison, it is not surprising that Generation Z spends the most time on their mobile phones: an average of 378 minutes, or more than six hours. On average, users open their mobile phones 205 times a day, which means mobile use every seven minutes over the entire day – including the time spent sleeping.

This excessive digital presence not only impairs our wakefulness, attention, concentration, work, and study, but also our sleep quality. According to another recent study on Norwegian research, using the phone before going to bed reduces sleep time, increases anxiety, and increases the risk of insomnia by 63 percent.

Digital detox is not only a spiritual practice, but also a way to protect your mental and physical health.

Digital fasting with good practices – what can we do?

Introduce an evening screen-free zone: Turn off all your screens at least 1 hour before bed: TV, mobile, laptop or tablet. Instead, read, meditate or talk to your family and friends – even in the context of a traditional phone call.
Designated offline time slots: Family meals, morning coffee or evening walk – make it a time when everyone puts down their phones.
Digital silence days: Try a day of the week (for example, Sunday) without apps – as recommended by the National Day of Unplugging initiative.