Two-Week Digital Detox Makes Brain Feel 10 Years Younger, Study Finds

In an era where Americans spend nearly five hours daily glued to their smartphones, new research reveals that taking a break from mobile internet access can significantly boost mental health, well-being, and cognitive function—with improvements in attention span equivalent to reversing a decade of cognitive aging.

The groundbreaking study, published Tuesday in PNAS Nexus, found that blocking mobile internet access for just two weeks led to improvements in mental health that surpassed the typical effects of antidepressant medications.

“Despite the benefits of this technology, there is growing concern that smartphone use could adversely impact cognitive functioning and mental health,” the researchers noted in their findings. The study, led by Noah Castelo and colleagues, aimed to provide concrete evidence about these effects.

The month-long experiment involved 467 iPhone users who were asked to install an app that blocked mobile internet access while still allowing calls and texts. The study revealed a dramatic reduction in screen time from an average of 314 minutes to 161 minutes per day during the restriction period.

The results were striking: 91% of participants showed improvement in at least one measured outcome. Perhaps most remarkably, the enhancement in sustained attention ability matched what would be expected from erasing ten years of age-related cognitive decline.

However, sticking to the digital diet proved challenging. Of the initial 467 participants who agreed to the experiment, only 119 managed to maintain the internet block for at least 10 of the 14 intervention days. Despite this low compliance rate, the researchers found significant benefits even among those who followed the protocol less strictly.

The study revealed that the benefits stemmed from several lifestyle changes. When cut off from mobile internet, participants spent more time socializing in person, exercising, and being in nature. They also reported better sleep and increased feelings of self-control.

Particularly encouraging was the finding that improvements in well-being and mental health persisted even after participants regained internet access. The group that blocked internet for the first two weeks maintained significantly higher levels of well-being even at the four-week mark, suggesting lasting benefits from the digital break.

“These results provide causal evidence that blocking mobile internet can improve important psychological outcomes,” the researchers concluded, “and suggest that maintaining the status quo of constant connection to the internet may be detrimental to time use, cognitive functioning, and well-being.”

The findings are especially relevant given that half of American smartphone users—and more than 80% of those under 30—worry about excessive device use. The study suggests these concerns may be well-founded but also points to a potential solution.

The researchers acknowledge that completely blocking mobile internet access might be too extreme for many people. They suggest that future studies could explore more targeted approaches, such as blocking specific apps or limiting internet access during certain times of day.

“Balancing the practical benefits that smartphones offer against these significant negative consequences is an important task for smartphone users,” the team noted. Their results suggest that for many people, finding ways to reduce time with connected devices could lead to meaningful improvements in their lives.