digital detox

[dij-i-tl dee-toks]

noun

Informal.

1. a period during which a person refrains from using digital or electronic devices in order to break a pattern of excessive or compulsive use, and instead prioritizes face-to-face social interactions, mindfulness, harmony with nature, etc.: Teen girls commonly suffer damage to their self-image with exposure to social media and may require a digital detox to address depression and other mental health challenges.

   If being connected 24/7 makes you feel stressed, anxious, or burned out, it’s time to put down the smartphone and get serious about a digital detox.

   Teen girls commonly suffer damage to their self-image with exposure to social media and may require a digital detox to address depression and other mental health challenges.

Word History and Origins

Origin of digital detox¹

First recorded in 2010–15

Example Sentences

Dickson estimates that her digital detox has saved her roughly $300 to $500 a month, now that she is no longer tempted to buy new things or try new restaurants every day.

Read more on MarketWatch

And while high-schoolers may be forced into temporary digital detox, eventually they will graduate and enter college or the workforce, where no one is going to take their phone away.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

State TV in Vladimir spun the shutdown as "digital detox", showing residents who said they now enjoyed more walking, reading and spending time with friends.

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The nascent “digital detox” sector is a hard one to triangulate.

Read more on Slate

The one market research report I could find pegs the digital detox industry as a growing market, but still a tiny one, doing around half a billion dollars in worldwide sales per year.

Read more on Slate