11 Practical Ways to Reduce Digital Consumption

I am convinced—from scientific research, from personal experience, and from counseling teens—that any attempt to replace anxiety and depression with peace and joy must have a plan for getting our digital devices and social media under control. All the research indicates that our overuse and misuse of digital technology is one of the greatest causes of mental and emotional distress today, especially among teens.

Science shows that overuse of digital technology reduces attention spans, concentration, reasoning skills, IQ, brain density, emotional resilience, and the length and quality of our sleep. Also, excessive use of social media has been connected with poor self-esteem, social isolation, negative self-comparison (often called “compare and despair”), feelings of inadequacy, the pursuit of perfectionism, and shallow relationships.

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