Digital Detox Club

The evidence

Information on the digital detox movement

Why do we run phone-free events? Because a growing body of research, and a growing number of people, suggest that time away from screens is worth protecting. This page collects the data, the science, the books and the venues behind the digital detox movement, with a source for every claim.

The numbers

6h 38m

Average daily time online for adult internet users worldwide, across all devices[1]

18h 36m

Average weekly time online adults spend on social and video feeds, roughly 16% of their waking hours[5]

46%

of US teens say they are online “almost constantly”, up from 24% a decade earlier[6]

2×

the risk of depression and anxiety symptoms found in a US study of 12–15-year-olds who spent more than 3 hours a day on social media[7]

Screen time in charts

Daily time spent using the internet, by country
Daily time spent using the internet, by country
South Africa9h 37m
Brazil9h 09m
Philippines8h 52m
Russia8h 38m
Egypt7h 26m
United States6h 40m
Spain5h 40m
United Kingdom5h 36m
Hong Kong5h 29m
Germany5h 28m
Greece5h 21m
Denmark5h 10m
Japan4h 09m
World average: 6h 38m

China: the most recent figure we could verify is 5h 25m a day (GWI, Q3 2022, from DataReportal's Digital 2023 report). It comes from a different edition, so it is not plotted alongside the bars above.

Source: DataReportal, Digital 2025 (GWI survey of internet users aged 16–64, all devices, self-reported). A selection of countries is shown.[1][2][3]

Average daily screen time by age (United States)
Average daily screen time by age (United States)
Under 21h 03m
Ages 2–42h 08m
Ages 5–83h 28m
Tweens (8–12)5h 33m
Teens (13–18)8h 39m

The two groups come from different surveys with different methods, so compare bars within each group rather than across them.

Source: Common Sense Media Census surveys.[8][9]

US high-school girls reporting persistent sadness or hopelessness
US high-school girls reporting persistent sadness or hopelessness
201136%
202157%
202353%

CDC reports that the share fell from 57% in 2021 to 53% in 2023, but it remains well above the 2011 level. The data show an association over time, not proof of cause.

Source: CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey (nationally representative, every two years).[10][11]

US teens who say they are online “almost constantly”
US teens who say they are online “almost constantly”
2014–1524%
202446%

Source: Pew Research Center surveys of US teens aged 13–17.[6]

China in numbers

Our events are held in China, so here is the same picture for the mainland, drawn largely from CNNIC (the China Internet Network Information Center) and national ministries.

30.6h

average hours online each week for Chinese internet users in June 2025, about 4h 22m a day[27]

95.1%

of China's 1.123 billion internet users use short-video apps, about 1.068 billion people[27]

97.2%

of Chinese minors were online in 2022, around 193 million young people[28][29]

52.7%

of Chinese children and adolescents were short-sighted in 2020 (53.6% in 2018). Health authorities name long, close-up screen use as an important cause of early-onset myopia[33][32]

CNNIC counts 1.123 billion internet users (79.7% of the population) in June 2025; an annex figure under a broader definition gives 91.6%, according to DataReportal. CNNIC's weekly online time is self-reported and measured differently from the GWI daily figures in the country chart, so the two should not be compared directly.[27][5]

Chinese minors online (2022)
Chinese minors online (2022)
Play mobile games62.8%
Often watch short videos54.1%
Online 2+ hours on a school day11.1%
Online 5+ hours on a holiday13.1%
Same, boarding students27.8%

About nine in ten Chinese minors spend two hours or less online on a school day; the bars show the share who go well beyond that.

Source: National minors' internet use survey by the Communist Youth League and CNNIC (31,688 students in 31 provinces).[28][29]

Short videos and minors online, 2018 to 2022
Short videos and minors online, 2018 to 2022
201840.5%
202254.1%
201893.7%
202297.2%

Internet use among minors is close to saturation; short-video habits are the part still growing. 77.5% of parents say they worry about their children watching short videos for too long.

Source: National minors' internet use survey by the Communist Youth League and CNNIC.[28][29]

China's rules on screens and young people

Phones in schools (2021)

The Ministry of Education's 2021 notice says students should in principle not bring personal phones into school. Those who must need written parental consent and hand the phone to the school for safekeeping, and phones are banned from classrooms.[30]

Gaming limits for minors (2021)

Since 1 September 2021, online games may serve minors only from 8 pm to 9 pm on Fridays, weekends and public holidays: one hour a day. In the national survey, 61.5% of minor internet users said the limits had clearly reduced their own or classmates' gaming time.[31][28]

National Health Commission guidance (2023)

No phones, tablets or computers for ages 0–3 and avoid them for ages 3–6. For schoolchildren, non-study screen use should not exceed 15 minutes at a time or one hour a day in total.[32]

What the research says

Randomised experiments can show cause and effect, so they carry the most weight. Here are three well-known ones, followed by an official overview.

Switching off Facebook for four weeks

In a randomised experiment around the 2018 US midterm elections, people who deactivated Facebook for four weeks spent more time on offline activities such as seeing family and friends, were less politically polarised and reported higher subjective well-being. They also knew somewhat less about the news.[12]

Thirty minutes a day

143 University of Pennsylvania undergraduates were randomly assigned to limit Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat to 10 minutes per platform per day for three weeks. Compared with a control group, they showed significant reductions in loneliness and depression.[13]

The mere presence of your phone

In two experiments, the mere presence of a person's own smartphone reduced their available cognitive capacity, even when they successfully avoided checking it. The cost was highest for people who were most dependent on their phones.[14]

The US Surgeon General's advisory (2023)

The advisory concluded that we cannot say social media is sufficiently safe for children and adolescents. It cites a cohort study in which more than 3 hours a day was associated with double the risk of poor mental health outcomes, and notes that US teens spend an average of 3.5 hours a day on social media.[7]

Jonathan Haidt's books

Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt of NYU Stern argues that the shift from a play-based to a phone-based childhood has driven an epidemic of mental illness among young people, and that parents, schools and governments can act together to reverse it.

The Anxious Generation

How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. Published by Penguin Press on 26 March 2024 and a #1 New York Times bestseller.[15]

The Amazing Generation

Your Guide to Fun and Freedom in a Screen-Filled World. A companion for ages 9–12 by Haidt and Catherine Price, illustrated by Cynthia Yuan Cheng, published 30 December 2025.[16]

The four norms Haidt proposes[17]

  1. 01No smartphones before high school
  2. 02No social media before 16
  3. 03Phone-free schools
  4. 04More independence, free play and responsibility in the real world

Also worth reading: Haidt's earlier book The Coddling of the American Mind (with Greg Lukianoff), his After Babel newsletter, and Catherine Price's How to Break Up With Your Phone.

The movement in practice

People are not just talking about it. Phone-free venues and clubs are appearing around the world.

The Offline Club, Amsterdam and the Netherlands

Started in 2022 by Ilya Kneppelhout, Valentijn Klok and Jordy van Bennekom as phone-free weekend getaways, the Offline Club now runs “digital detox hangouts” in cafés and other venues, including Sunday mornings at Café Brecht in Amsterdam. Guests lock their phones in a “phone hotel”, then follow a simple rhythm of quiet time and conversation. Entry costs around US$8, and by mid-2024 events ran in six Dutch cities.[18][19] It is a recurring event hosted in existing cafés rather than a permanent phone-free café.

Off the Radar, Tilburg

Phone-free music events that began in 2023 as a Fontys student project. Guests hand in their phones at the door, and the organisers provide photographers, photo booths and special beer mats for swapping numbers.[20][19]

The Luddite Club, Brooklyn

A group of New York high-school students who meet weekly, swap smartphones for flip phones and spend the time reading, talking and walking in Prospect Park, as profiled by the New York Times in December 2022.[21]

Schools and governments are acting too

School phone bans

UNESCO's monitoring counts 114 education systems (58%) with a national ban on mobile phones in schools, up from fewer than one in four (24%) in June 2023.[22]

Australia

Since 10 December 2025, social media platforms must take reasonable steps to prevent under-16s from holding accounts, a world-first national rule.[24]

France and the Netherlands

France introduced a school phone ban in 2018, and the Netherlands followed with restrictions from 2024.[23]

China

The State Council's Regulations on the Protection of Minors Online took effect on 1 January 2024. They require games, live-streaming, video and social services to offer a “minors' mode” with limits on time, features and content, and ask guardians to guide sensible use. A 2024 blue book on minors' internet use notes that actual use of the mode is still low.[25][26]

Further reading

Articles and reports worth your time. Some outlets may require a subscription.

Ready to try it yourself?

Our events are built around exactly this idea: time with real people, with phones away.

Create accountSee upcoming eventsGet notified about new events

References

Numbers in square brackets link to the sources below.

  1. [1]Kemp, S. (2025). Digital 2025: Global Overview Report. DataReportal, We Are Social & Meltwater (GWI survey data). Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2]Unwire (2026). Average Screen Time by Country (compiled from DataReportal, Digital 2025; internet users aged 16–64). Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  3. [3]Comparitech (2025). Screen Time Statistics: Average Screen Time by Country (compiled from DataReportal). Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  4. [4]Kemp, S. (2023). The Time We Spend Online Is Falling. DataReportal, Digital 2023 (GWI, Q3 2022). Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  5. [5]Kemp, S. (2025). Digital 2026 Global Overview Report. DataReportal, We Are Social & Meltwater (GWI survey data). Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  6. [6]Faverio, M. & Sidoti, O. (2024). Teens, Social Media and Technology 2024. Pew Research Center, 12 December 2024. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  7. [7]Office of the U.S. Surgeon General (2023). Social Media and Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  8. [8]Mann, S., Calvin, A., Lenhart, A. & Robb, M. B. (2025). The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Kids Zero to Eight, 2025. Common Sense Media. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  9. [9]Rideout, V., Peebles, A., Mann, S. & Robb, M. B. (2022). The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens, 2021. Common Sense Media. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  10. [10]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2023). U.S. Teen Girls Experiencing Increased Sadness and Violence (Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2021). CDC Newsroom, 13 February 2023. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  11. [11]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024). 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  12. [12]Allcott, H., Braghieri, L., Eichmeyer, S. & Gentzkow, M. (2020). The Welfare Effects of Social Media. American Economic Review, 110(3), 629–676. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  13. [13]Hunt, M. G., Marx, R., Lipson, C. & Young, J. (2018). No More FOMO: Limiting Social Media Decreases Loneliness and Depression. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 37(10), 751–768. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  14. [14]Ward, A. F., Duke, K., Gneezy, A. & Bos, M. W. (2017). Brain Drain: The Mere Presence of One's Own Smartphone Reduces Available Cognitive Capacity. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 2(2), 140–154. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  15. [15]Haidt, J. (2024). The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. Penguin Press, 26 March 2024. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  16. [16]Haidt, J. & Price, C. (2025). The Amazing Generation: Your Guide to Fun and Freedom in a Screen-Filled World. Illustrated by Cynthia Yuan Cheng. Rocky Pond Books, 30 December 2025. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  17. [17]The Anxious Generation movement. The Four Norms. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  18. [18]The Guardian (2024). ‘I feel more connected with humanity’: the club where phones are banned – and visitors pay for the privilege. 8 May 2024. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  19. [19]The World, PRX (2024). This club in the Netherlands offers a much-needed break from technology. 13 June 2024. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  20. [20]BRON, Fontys (2023). Studenten organiseren feest waar telefoons niet welkom zijn [Students organise a party where phones are not welcome]. 9 May 2023. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  21. [21]The New York Times (2022). ‘Luddite’ Teens Don't Want Your Likes. 15 December 2022. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  22. [22]UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report. How many countries have phone bans in school? (published 17 March 2026, updated 18 September 2026). Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  23. [23]The Guardian (2023). ‘Put learners first’: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools. 26 July 2023. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  24. [24]eSafety Commissioner (Australia). Social media age restrictions (in effect from 10 December 2025). Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  25. [25]中华人民共和国国务院令第766号：未成年人网络保护条例 (2023). Ministry of Education of the PRC; effective 1 January 2024. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  26. [26]方勇 等 (主编) (2024). 中国未成年人互联网运用报告（2024）. 青少年蓝皮书, 社会科学文献出版社. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  27. [27]中国互联网络信息中心 (CNNIC) (2025). 第56次中国互联网络发展状况统计报告. 2025年7月21日发布. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  28. [28]共青团中央维护青少年权益部、中国互联网络信息中心 (2023). 《第5次全国未成年人互联网使用情况调查报告》发布 (新闻稿). 2023年12月25日. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  29. [29]共青团中央维护青少年权益部、中国互联网络信息中心 (2023). 第5次全国未成年人互联网使用情况调查报告 (全文). 2023年12月. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  30. [30]教育部办公厅 (2021). 关于加强中小学生手机管理工作的通知 (教基厅函〔2021〕3号). Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  31. [31]国家新闻出版署 (2021). 关于进一步严格管理 切实防止未成年人沉迷网络游戏的通知 (国新出发〔2021〕14号). 2021年8月30日. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  32. [32]国家卫生健康委办公厅 (2023). 关于印发防控儿童青少年近视核心知识十条的通知. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  33. [33]光明日报 (2023). 共同呵护孩子的眼睛 (引用国家卫生健康委数据: 2020年全国儿童青少年总体近视率52.7%, 2018年53.6%). 2023年9月4日. Source ↗ (accessed 2026-10-02)