Archive · 16 Nov 2025
Digital Detox: A Growing Need Amidst Rising Screen Time and Digital Dependence
Imagine you have a favorite toy that's super fun, but playing with it too much makes you tired, grumpy, and unable to focus on other things.
That's kind of like our phones and computers.
Many grown-ups are worried because people are spending too much time looking at screens, more than five hours every day!
This can make people feel more anxious, sleep less, and have trouble concentrating.
Some smart people figured out that websites and apps are designed to keep you looking at them for as long as possible.
Now, some people are trying to help others disconnect.
There are special vacations or clubs where you can't use your phone, and even special, simple phones that only do the basics.
But these options can be expensive, making it hard for everyone to disconnect.
Some people think it's not fair that disconnecting is becoming a luxury for the rich.
They believe everyone should have the right to take a break from screens, just like having clean air to breathe or clean water to drink, and that governments should help make this happen for everyone's health and well-being.
Average daily screen time exceeds five hours, prompting concerns about excessive digital consumption.
Harmful effects of screen time include increased anxiety, worsened sleep, and loss of concentration, with links to rising youth suicide rates.
A 'digital detox' market has emerged, offering products and services like screen-free getaways and minimalist devices, but these are often costly.
Smartphones have become indispensable for essential tasks like banking and administration, creating a structural dependence.
Advocates are pushing for collective and political solutions to make disconnecting a fundamental right, not a luxury.
- Who
- Civil society, researchers, policymakers, and the general public, including executives, creatives, and freelancers.
- What
- A growing concern and emerging market around digital detox and disconnection from excessive screen time, driven by awareness of its harmful effects and the paradox of digital dependence.
- When
- Increasingly apparent in recent years, with a specific mention of the 2010s for rising youth suicide rates and 2025 for French digital usage desires.
- Where
- Global, with specific mentions of France and the United States, and initiatives in Paris.
- Why
- Harmful effects of excessive screen time (anxiety, sleep disorders, loss of concentration), the 'captology' of major platforms to maintain user attention, and the increasing indispensability of smartphones for daily administrative and banking tasks.
Individual Responsibility
Collective and Political Action
Addressing Excessive Screen Use
Individual Responsibility
Solutions focus on individual choices, such as digital minimalism and purchasing 'dumb devices,' treating disconnection as a consumer product and personal luxury.
Collective and Political Action
There is a need for collective and political initiatives, like government reports and conferences, to address the issue as a matter of public health, education, and democracy, making disconnection a right rather than a luxury.
The Right to Disconnect
Individual Responsibility
The 'right to disconnect' is becoming a consumer product, accessible only to those with the economic and cultural resources to afford such solutions.
Collective and Political Action
The 'right to disconnect' should be a fundamental right, not a luxury, requiring public actors to ensure people can reclaim attention and autonomy without relying solely on private solutions.
- Average Screen Time
- Over five hours per day
- French Desire to Reduce Digital Usage (2025)
- Nearly one in five people
- French Desire to Decrease Social Media Time
- 9% of people
- US Youth Suicide Rate Increase (2010s)
- 168% among girls linked to excessive screen use
- The Offline Club (Paris) Event Price
- 8 to 15 euros
- Light Phone Price
- 699 euros
- ReMarkable Price
- 599 euros