Healio (4/10, Southall ) reports a study suggests that “blocking mobile internet on mobile devices for 2 weeks improved subjective well-being, as well as mental health and the ability to sustain attention.” Participants installed an app that “blocked all mobile internet access – including Wi-Fi and mobile data – from their smartphones for 2 weeks, but permitted text messages and phone calls.” Researchers measured “three overall outcomes: subjective well-being; overall mental health, which included symptoms of anxiety and depression; and attentional functioning, using both self-reported attentional awareness and objectively measured sustained attention.” They found 91% of participants “improved on at least one of the three outcomes” and noted that participants “spent more time socializing in person, exercising and being in nature.” The study was published in PNAS Nexus.
Related Links:
— “Blocking internet on mobile devices improves well-being, mental health,”Jennifer R. Southall, Healio, April 10, 2025