Many of us have toyed with the idea of a digital detox or stepping back from social media, but new government proposals could turn that idea into reality for many teenagers.
In the Commons late on Monday the Government said it will introduce “age or functionality restrictions” on social media for under-16s.
As questions continue over what these potential limits might involve, we spoke to some experts about what surprising benefits stepping away from social media could offer children and families.
1. Help improve children’s attention span and focus
“The fast-moving swipe culture of social media speeds up the world, and can have a big impact on children’s attention spans, make them feel very overstimulated and can make offline content, such as reading a book, seem quite dull by comparison,” highlights Liat Hughes Joshi, author of How To Unplug Your Child.
“It’s a highly stimulating world, so to cut that from their life returns them to a simpler environment and helps slows everything down, which I think is only a good thing for children.”
Dr Hannah Sugarman, a clinical psychologist at Central Health London, agrees and adds: “There’s lots of research on what constantly switching between phones, social media and different stuff on our devices does to our sustained attention skills, and I would anticipate that training yourself out of that is going to leave you much better equipped to pay attention in a sustained way.”
2. Could help ease anxiety levels
“These algorithms are designed to keep us in loops that might be emotive in some way, and the constant comparisons on social media to other people’s curated lives tends to fuel things like anxiety,” says Sugarman. “It’s incredibly unhealthy to spend a lot of your time in that space because it’s not real, and it’s warping your view of what you should be or what other people are.”
Hughes Joshi notes that many studies highlight this association with anxiety and social media, particularly in girls.
“These anxiety levels are shaped in part by the over-stimulation of social media, but I think is also impacted by things like body image comparisons and inappropriate content that they’re seeing,” says Hughes Joshi.
They both agree that a detox from social media can have a positive impact on these feelings of anxiety.
“When we’re out in the real world, we’re getting a more balanced and healthy input from the world, which has such a huge impact on self-esteem, mood and even anxiety in children and adults,” says Sugarman.
3. Improves sleep
“Social media is addictive, so if a young person or an adult has unrestricted access to a device that wants to keep them engaged and keep their brain stimulated, they’re going to keep engaging rather than go to sleep,” reflects Sugarman.
“In addition, if someone is spending loads of time on social media throughout the day and is watching extreme, harmful content, that will fuel things like low mood and anxiety, which will all have a negative impact on sleep.”
Hughes Joshi adds: “If a child is exhausted from looking at social media, it might also impact their learning and concentration levels at school.”
Therefore, taking a break from social media is likely to improve a child’s sleep, which will have ripple effects the next day.
“I think every parent knows that a well-rested child tends to be easier to be around, and that’s true with adults too,” says Hughes Joshi.
4. Removes the pressure to ‘keep up with the Joneses”
“In some families where parents are on social media and are posting everything, it can create a feeling for children that their family life is for public show,” says Hughes Joshi.
She reflects how social media also can fuel unhealthy comparison, which affects both older kids and parents.
“I think we’ve ended up in this bizarre extreme ‘Keeping Up with the Joneses’ world of competitive parenting which is fuelled by social media, where there is constant comparisons with others of who has got the coolest trainers or who has got the flashiest birthday cake etc, which is quite unhealthy,” says Hughes Joshi.
“If you are comparing your child’s birthday party with influencers and celebrities that you see on social media, for example, you’re often going to feel like you’re short-changing your child.”
The author highlights how stepping away from this can help parents become less performative, and more present.
“If you come off social media, you may still be vaguely aware of what’s going on from general media, but it can be much less prevalent in your life and make you less conscious of comparisons with others,” says Hughes Joshi.
5. Enhances family quality time
“So much of healthy child development happens during in-person interactions between parents and their child, and a digital detox widens the opportunities for that essential in-person connection,” says Sugarman.
Hughes Joshi agrees and adds: “Having time away from social media can help make the time you have together more present, rather than your brain being half distracted by what’s going on on social media, or what you’re going to post.
“It can help provide space for better conversations which overtime is going to have a big impact on your relationships.”
The author adds it’s a good idea to think about what to replace the endless scrolling with.
“Consider what you’re going to do with some of the time you’re freeing up together as a family,” recommends Hughes Joshi. “Think about a potential activity that you can do together, such as a board game night, a family book club, or a new sport.”