Have you ever tried to turn off your phone for more than two hours without being on a plane? I'm not talking about the actual airplane mode, but the psychological one: that silent desert where suddenly there is no longer an algorithm to suggest how to fill the time. That's where the real journey of digital detox begins.
It's not a fad from repentant influencers, nor a move from nostalgics: it's a neurobiological necessity. A need that our brain has been screaming for a long time: only the sound is drowned out by the constant buzz of our screens.
Too many pixels, not enough substance? The brain rebels
In the 80s, spending half an hour on the computer was like visiting a technological amusement park; today we live immersed in a continuous bombardment of screens, emails, alerts, 10, 20, 30 second videos. And not without consequences.. Studies conducted since 2018 through advanced screening technologies have begun to tell us a rather clear story: the more time we spend in front of screens, the more the connectivity of the brain areas dedicated to attention, memory and language weakens. In particular, in a study in 2023 it became clear that children who spend too many hours with tablets and TV show a lower white matter density. In simple terms? Slower signals, less mental efficiency.
Digital detox, turning everything off rekindles the mind
Now, the really interesting part: what happens when we decide to “unplug”? Recent studies on digital detox, such as the one from 2025 Published in Developmental Science, are surprising. During a moment of shared reading (book in hand, words and images without digital filters) children's brains activate in key areas for attention and social understanding.
“This region of the brain is involved in social processes and more general attention,” explains the researcher Meredith Pecukonis, referring to the stimulation observed during reading compared to the screen.
In essence: reading a book together, compared to watching a story on a screen, changes everything. More connections, more attention, more empathy. A small analog miracle.
It's not a renunciation, it's a human upgrade
Anyone who thinks that digital detox is a punishment hasn't understood what's at stake. It's not about abandoning technology (that would be like fighting against the air) but about using it without becoming slaves to it. Reducing screen time, even with simple rules, is like giving our mind a new chance to grow, to think, to truly remember.
The research trends are clear, at the moment: no screens under two years old and a maximum of one hour a day until five. But above all: co-viewing. Watching, commenting, laughing, reflecting together. Because the real digital detox is not just about switching off, but also about reconnecting.
Digital detox, the final question: is it worth it?
Of course, it scares many people. Unplugging means facing silence, boredom, maybe even a little anxiety (even if the doomscrolling comes from connected). But that's where the reset happens. Without notifications stealing our attention every three minutes, we learn to concentrate again, to remember better, to think more deeply.
The truth is this: a less toxic brain is a freer brain. And, in times like these, mental freedom is the new revolution.
