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A Community-based Stress Management Program: Using Wearable Devices to Assess Whole Body Physiological Responses in Non-laboratory Settings
Published on: January 22, 2018
Digital Detox and Well-Being
Laura Marciano1,2, Sanmit Jindal3, Kasisomayajula Viswanath1,2
1Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
Reducing social media use, not total abstinence, shows benefits for well-being. Digital detox effectiveness varies by individual factors, requiring more research for clear guidance.
Area of Science:
- Digital well-being
- Public health
- Behavioral science
Background:
- US Surgeon General advisory highlights social media's impact on well-being.
- Digital media abstinence is an implied strategy to mitigate negative effects.
- Need for evidence-based guidance on digital detox interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent studies on digital detox and its effects on well-being.
- To inform parents, educators, policymakers, and the public.
- To synthesize current research on reducing digital media consumption.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a literature search in June 2023 across Google Scholar, PubMed, and ScienceDirect.
- Included reviews and original research articles (2013-2023) on digital media reduction interventions and well-being.
- Synthesized findings from 2 reviews and 6 articles, referencing 139 studies.
Main Results:
- No consistent definition or effectiveness assessment for "digital detox" interventions.
- Reducing social media/smartphone time, rather than complete abstinence, yielded more positive well-being outcomes.
- Intervention effects on well-being are variable, influenced by gender, age, and context.
Conclusions:
- Current evidence on digital detox interventions for well-being is limited.
- No clear policy implications can be drawn due to insufficient research.
- Further high-quality empirical research is needed to identify effective digital detox strategies for specific populations.
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