A recent study published in PNAS Nexus has confirmed that reducing smartphone usage leads to improved mental health and focus. The 30-day experiment, which blocked internet access on iPhones for half of the participants, showed significant improvements in sustained attention ability, mental health, and subjective well-being.
The researchers found that blocking internet access reduced screen time from an average of 314 minutes a day to 161 minutes a day. This reduction was accompanied by improved feelings of self-control, increased social connectedness, and better sleep quality.
Notably, the study showed that even after two weeks of being back online, participants who had blocked their internet for the first two weeks continued to experience higher levels of subjective well-being and mental health compared to those who didn’t block their access.
The researchers attribute these positive effects to the increased time spent in offline activities, decreased media consumption, and improved sleep quality. The study suggests that limiting smartphone usage can have a significant impact on both cognitive functioning and mental health. With Americans spending almost five hours a day using their smartphones, this finding is particularly timely.
Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-smartphones-benefits.html