The impact of a Digital Detox Intervention on Smartphone Usage and Procrastination: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

Digital detox, a conscious break from digital devices, has gained attention in the popular and academic world as a means to decrease excessive screen time and positively influence various psychological outcomes. However, it has not been clear how digital detox should be applied and what its effects are. The purpose of this study is to find out what effect a digital detox has on procrastination and if it can be used to reduce screentime while controlling for “other” non-social media screen time. In a quasi-experimental longitudinal design, a sample of 92 participants underwent a week-long digital detox. The digital detox meant that the participants were not allowed to use any social media except for Whatsapp. Screen time and procrastination were measured before, during and after the digital detox. The results showed that the digital detox lead to lower total screen time in the week after the detox. During and after the detox, participants reported less procrastination compared to before the detox. During the digital detox, participants showed an increase in other screentime than social media, but this increase did not influence the effectiveness of the digital detox on total screen time and procrastination. Future research should include a control group and more follow-up measurements to prove that it’s truly social media that is responsible for the excessive screen time and procrastination and to see how long the effects of a digital detox last.