Americans spend an average of four hours and 37 minutes every day staring at their phone screen. A 2024 survey revealed that 40% are trying to cut down on screen time, according to the Health Data platform Harmony Healthcare IT. Fifty-two percent of respondents to Harmony’s survey think they are too dependent on their phones.

Overstimulated adults are largely driving an increasing popularity of digital minimalism – a trend that encourages less dependency on screens and technology with the goal of improving mental health and focus. A recent survey of working professionals found that half of them were either “at-risk users” or “problematic users” of smartphones, according to explodingtopics.com. The results of the survey found that people’s obsession with their phones brought on feelings of dependency and compulsion.

On July 30, the U.S. Senate passed legislation to protect our youth from dangerous online content claiming the hours young people spend on these platforms is a major contributor to mental health crisis in children. The legislation suggests tools “to take back their lives online,” stated U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, who co-wrote the bill.

Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms, according to jamanetwork.com. Additionally, nearly half of adolescents say social media makes them feel worse about themselves, according to digitalwellnesslab.com.

Digital minimalism is about reclaiming ownership of our digital lives and developing a healthier and more balanced, conscious relationship with our devices. Some trends include: decreasing clutter on phones and simplifying screens, turning notifications off, setting the screen to grayscale (which dims the colors making the phone easier to put down), scheduling tech breaks and even choosing “dumb” phones, which are bare-bones cellphones with limited features like calling and texting.

Several apps have been developed to decrease reliance on smartphones and help users focus and be intentional about technology use. Some examples are Unpluq, ScreenZen, Moment, Minimalist Phone, Minimalist Launcher and the one sec app. Forest: Focus for Productivity is an app that allows users to build a forest of virtual trees as they become less dependent on their phones, which can translate to earning coins that can be used to plant real trees in African countries.

Teen-focused efforts like the Log Off movement and Wired Human are examples of some of the ways teens can support one another in reforming their relationships with social media and navigating online environments in a safe manner.

More than reducing screen time, digital minimalism aims to prioritize what truly matters and is about using time valuably by creating a deeper connection with ourselves and the world around us. As social psychologist and author of The Anxious Generation Jonathan Haidt stated, “Our attention is our most precious resource.”

By Lisa Nicklanovich; courtesy photo