Is technology impacting your mental health? Here's what to do
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA
If you're struggling with screen time, you're not alone. Discover the connection between technology and mental health, plus 7 tips for a more balanced digital life.
Most people have a love-hate relationship with technology. While it’s made a lot of things simpler (remember plan-making without texting?), it can also be totally overwhelming. One minute you’re just checking your email, and the next, you’re contributing to three group chats, Googling your high school boyfriend, and watching a TikTok video about skincare again.
With so many smart devices, it’s getting harder to tell where the tech ends and we begin — and this can do some pretty serious damage to your mental health.
If you’re struggling with a dependency on technology, you’re not alone — and there are manageable ways to keep it in check. The trick is to find what works for you and unplug just enough for you to feel a little more like yourself.
What is the impact of technology on mental health?
First, the bad news: Our brains weren’t designed to take in this much information all the time. In fact, a major 2019 study found that more time spent on digital media was associated with lower psychological wellbeing, especially in teens, but adults aren’t immune. Basically, the more hours people spend on their devices, the more likely they are to report feeling anxious and irritable.
This is because screen time, especially the passive kind (i.e., mindless scrolling), can hijack the very systems meant to help you feel good. It’s like having a slot machine in your pocket. It’s always promising connection or validation, but it rarely delivers anything that actually soothes you.
Plus, when you add in algorithmic feeds designed to keep you scrolling long past the point of joy, it can lead to burnout and existential dread.
Now the good news: Technology has also made it easier than ever to stay connected to loved ones, access support, learn new things, and express yourself. For many people, it can be a real lifeline, especially during tough times.
It’s not necessarily the tool that’s the problem. It’s how we’re using it.
7 signs you might need a break from tech
Unfortunately, you might not realize you’re on the brink of digital overload until it’s too late. To help you figure out if you need a digital detox, look for these signs:
1. Your phone is basically an extension of your hand: You check it while waiting in line at the store, walking to the kitchen, or while you do any mundane task throughout your day.
2. You feel edgy or anxious when you’re not checking notifications: You feel like you can’t relax when you’re not on your phone. You’re always wondering if you’re missing an important text or notification.
3. Screen time is replacing real connection: You’ve interacted with your friends all day via memes and emojis, but you still feel lonely.
4. You fall into content holes and re-emerge disoriented: You regularly open social media to look up a recipe, and somehow end up on a video essay about the French Revolution two hours later. When you look up, you can’t believe that so much time has passed.
5. Your sleep is garbage and your brain is fried: You tend to stay up too late scrolling, and your sleep can suffer as a result.
6. Your body feels off: Headaches, eye strain, and sore fingers and hands can be signs that you need to cool it with your phone or computer.
7. You just don’t feel like you: If tech time usually leaves you drained instead of delighted, it might be time to take a digital breather.
How to build healthy digital habits: 7 ways to find more balance with technology
Ditching your phone altogether may sound like the only way to find balance, but for most of us, it’s just not possible. The reality is that we rely on technology for both work and life, so rather than going cold turkey, consider making a few tweaks that help you find a better balance in your daily life.
1. Check in on your digital habits
Before you start deleting apps or rearranging your home screen, pause and check in with yourself. Taking some time to understand how you’re feeling and what you actually want or need is the first step to a better relationship with tech. Even one moment of reflection can turn auto-scroll into actual choice.
Ask yourself questions like:
Why am I reaching for my phone right now? Am I bored? Anxious? Lonely?
What’s the one app I use most, and how do I feel after I’m on it?
What parts of myself show up online? And what parts don’t?
Is there a digital boundary I wish I could set? Is there anything stopping me from doing it?
What would I do with my time if I weren’t always reaching for my phone?
Try this: Pick one question and revisit it weekly. You could even set a recurring calendar reminder titled “How’s the internet treating me?” Make your phone part of your awareness practice instead of the thing you’re always trying to escape
💙 Learn how to Tame Your Scrolling Habit in this series with Rose Nisker, which includes a pre-phone check-in and a post-scroll reset.
2. Set screen-free zones and rituals
Create “no-phone zones” or rituals that feel important to create more breathing room. These don’t have to be hard rules, just invitations to reclaim your space. You can even light a candle during your screen-free wind-down to make it feel special.
Some small and easy rituals you could start with are:
No screens in bed.
Keep your phone in your bag during meals.
Set a daily “unplugged” hour, maybe when you’re cooking or on a walk.
💙 The Social Media & Screen Addiction series with Psychologist Adam Alter offers more tools to help you manage your dependency on screens.
3. Batch your screen time
Constantly checking your phone can lead to brain fog pretty quickly. Instead, group your digital tasks together to help you feel a little less scattered.
Here’s what to do:
Email: Aim to check it just 2–3 times a day, and set a timer if needed.
Socials: Give yourself 20 intentional minutes instead of 120 chaotic ones.
Text replies: Batch them like you would your dishes. Write quick replies all at once, and then you’re done.
💙 Discover better ways to be on your device during the Build Healthier Phone Habits series with Dr. Aditi Nerurkar.
4. Use tech to fight tech
Your phone has features that can help you stop using it so much. These include:
Setting app limits. Both iOS and Android let you do this.
Moving the apps that distract you most off your home screen so they’re less tempting.
Using “Do Not Disturb” or “Focus Mode” during work, meals, or as you’re winding down.
Switching to grayscale mode. This can help drain the dopamine hit out of endless scrolling.
5. Reclaim your offline joy
All too often, people use their free time to scroll instead of pursuing real-life joys. Create a list of five things you enjoy that don’t involve a screen.
It could be:
Cooking something new just because
Drawing, crafting, or gardening
Listening to music with your eyes closed
Reading a physical book
Sitting in a park and staring at the clouds
Pick one and try it for 10 minutes this week — putting it in your calendar can help. If this exercise feels hard, check out 11 tips to help you enjoy your life more.
6. Practice the micro detox
Trying to take a full digital detox is likely to lead to failure. It’s just not realistic! To make it as easy as possible, start small. You could:
Turn off your phone for just one meal
Leave your phone in another room while you watch a movie
Go on a 20-minute walk completely tech-free
Log out of your most-used app for the entire weekend
Explore 12 more ways to detox so you can scroll less and live more.
7. Make it personal
What works for someone else might not work for you, and that’s okay. Experiment with different things and see how they feel. And you can always adjust as you go. This could look like:
If you hate the idea of no screens in bed because you use it to wind down, try switching to low-light, no-scroll activities like reading or journaling.
If you love social media but hate how it makes you feel, curate your feed by muting toxic accounts and following more people who make you laugh or feel seen.
If you have to be on screens for work, balance it with analog breaks. Stretch, breathe, or sip tea every so often. (Here are 10 types of breathing exercises you could try.)
Technology and mental health FAQs
What are the mental health effects of screen time on adults?
Screen time can really impact your mental health. Tons of screen use, especially passive scrolling and constant multitasking, have been linked to increased anxiety, depression, and stress in adults. Being on your phone excessively can chip away at focus, fuel comparison spirals, and sabotage your sleep.
Also, being on your phone constantly can blur the lines between productivity and burnout. You might feel like you’re always on, but at the same time, you’re rarely actually present.
It helps to reflect on how certain types of screen time make you feel and make adjustments as needed.
What is digital burnout, and how do I know if I have it?
Digital burnout is a specific kind of mental and emotional exhaustion that comes from constant digital interaction. Common signs include irritability, low motivation, mental fog, physical fatigue, and feeling both overstimulated and numb at the same time.
If you can't stop checking notifications despite how bad they’re making you feel, you might be experiencing burnout. Add short breaks away from your phone and set boundaries—like time limits on apps—to help you start to recover.
How do I take a digital detox?
Detoxing from technology can be as small as not looking at your phone for an hour or as big as a weekend offline.
To make it easier, start with a simple goal, like not checking your phone before 9am. Let people know that you’ll be less responsive, so your nervous system doesn’t spiral from imagined emergencies.
While you’re at it, add something nourishing in its place. You could go on a walk, take a nap, or do a face-to-face chat with a friend. Detoxing usually works best when it creates space for something that makes you feel more grounded (here are 18 more ideas to try).
What are some small, easy changes to reduce screen time?
Here are a few tricks that can help you pause before scrolling:
Move your most addictive apps off your home screen.
Turn off non-essential notifications.
Use an actual alarm clock instead of your phone.
Start noticing those “empty pocket” moments, like waiting in line, lying in bed, standing in your kitchen, and see if you can do something non-phone-related, such as a one-minute breathing exercise, or stretching while looking out the window.
These tiny changes might be just what you need to live more in the moment.
Calm your mind. Change your life.
Mental health is hard. Getting support doesn't have to be. The Calm app puts the tools to feel better in your back pocket, with personalized content to manage stress and anxiety, get better sleep, and feel more present in your life.
Images: Getty
