When the blue light becomes a red flag for your health, it’s time to take action.
Excessive phone use has been linked to physical symptoms like headaches, eye strain and hand or wrist pain from holding a device for too long.
And, most troubling, too much phone time can exacerbate mental health issues.
Naomi Dambreville, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, highlights the dangers of doomscrolling — or consuming lots of bad news about anything from global conflicts to disturbing political content at once — as a mindless habit.
“You might scroll to stay informed but end up feeling worse,” she told The Post. “Bad moods lead to more scrolling, which worsens the mood further. It affects attention, mood, self-esteem and can trigger irritability, anxiety or anger.”
Oftentimes, the bad news comes when we’re not even looking for it. “We grab our phones to search for updates and end up exposed to real-time traumatic or distressing information,” Dambreville noted.
By some estimates, nearly half of Americans consider themselves to be addicted to their phones, with the average person checking their phone every five minutes that they’re awake, or roughly 186 times per day.
“Addiction isn’t just about substances — it can also be behavioral,” Dambreville said. “Phone addiction [consists of] compulsive and excessive phone use, feeling out of control or distressed when away from your phone.”
“If you feel withdrawal when not online or fear missing content, you may have a problem,” she added.
Because we rely on our phones for so many aspects of our daily lives, it can be challenging to spot if there’s a problem — and even more challenging to do anything about it.
Dambreville reveals the six signs that you might be too reliant on your phone — and practical steps to help cut down on your screen time to protect your peace (and your joints).
6 signs you’re addicted to your phone
- Everything revolves around your phone: You do almost everything through your phone — like shopping, socializing and reading the news — and rarely engage in screen-free alternatives.
- You have an automatic relationship with your phone: You react instantly to every notification, check every direct message and constantly scroll. You experience FOMO (fear of missing out) when you’re offline, and you feel sad or out of the loop.
- Trouble focusing: You multitask with your phone — watching TV and scrolling, using your phone while you talk to someone — or you’re always reaching for your phone at work or in class.
- Low tolerance for boredom: You grab your phone the moment you have nothing to do. Scrolling is your default time-filler even when it has no real purpose.
- Physical symptoms: You experience headaches, fatigue, sleep disruption, eye strain and “digital thumb” (thumb, hand or wrist pain from holding your phone for long periods) related to phone use.
- Phone-related conflicts: You have conflicts in your close relationships because you’re always on your phone and loved ones feel ignored.
3 steps to take toward a digital detox
“Actively working on reducing screen time allows us to practice patience and self-control, improve attention and decision making and exercise our creativity and social muscles,” Dambreville said, citing a 2024 study on the effects of smartphone addiction on the brain.
A digital detox doesn’t have to look a particular way — for some, it could mean no screens for hours or days at a time. For others, it might mean cutting down on social media use a little bit each day.
“You get to define and design your own detox,” she said.
There are plenty of “small yet meaningful” changes you can make, whether it’s carving out time each month for an analogue hobby or dedicating a single day of the week to limit screen time.
“Over time, these can become long-term habits, new patterns and lifestyle changes as we find a more balanced relationship with smartphones/social media,” she added.
Here are three steps to kickstart your own digital detox:
Track your device and/or social media use
Knowing how many minutes or hours you spend looking at different devices, sites or apps, as well as how many times you pick up the phone each day, can help build awareness about your behavioral patterns and give you some concrete ideas of what to change.
Create a ‘detox’ plan
Write down your plan, so it feels more real. Start by picking just one of your behaviors to change and try to be as specific as possible. Choose something measurable, attainable, relevant and time-limited, Dambreville suggests.
If your goal is to spend less time on Instagram each day, for example, set a timer and close the app after 30 minutes. Then practice that at least twice a day for a week.
Replace old habits with ones that align with your goal
Don’t just set goals for the things you want to cut back on — set goals for the behaviors you want to add, too.
If you’re cutting down on screen time, for example, try to commit to adding something in place of scrolling, like reading for the 30 minutes you would have otherwise spent on Instagram each day for a week.
Dealing with withdrawals
“Our brain likes stability, so it doesn’t always react well to change even when it’s wanted and good for us,” Dambreville said.
A detox can lead to withdrawal symptoms like an even stronger urge (similar to a craving) to use a device or app, mood changes like irritability or anxiety, impulsive actions and feelings of a strong sense of “loss or isolation from the (digital) world.”
“Boredom is the most common, and often most difficult, consequence,” Dambreville added. She suggests creating a “coping plan” to help tolerate those feelings of discomfort and boredom.
Other withdrawal coping strategies
- A therapeutic tool called “urge surfing” can help you “ride the wave of discomfort” instead of trying to shut it off. According to Therapist Aid, “When urges go unfed, future urges gradually become weaker. The first waves are some of the most difficult to ride.”
- Put some physical distance between yourself and your phone. Leave it in a different room while you take a walk or otherwise distract yourself.
- Create a dopamine menu or list of pleasurable activities that you can turn to when you need to shift into a more positive headspace.
