Document Type : Original Research Paper

Authors

• sedigheh ahmadi ¹
• Zahra Zeinali ²

¹ Associate Professor of Counseling Department of Kharazmi University

² a graduate student in School Counseling, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Background and Objectives: In the current era, the presence of digital devices in everyday life has increased dramatically. Excessive screen use has had significant impacts on people of all ages. The intensity of using digital devices and the internet can have serious negative effects on the dimensions of psycho-social health, as one of the fundamental pillars of public health. This concept encompasses multiple dimensions, including physical, mental, emotional, and social health. In this regard, concepts such as digital detox and electronic abstinence have been proposed as novel strategies to mitigate harms associated with excessive technology use. Digital detox is defined as a temporary, intentional, and purposeful pause in using digital devices aimed at reducing stress, improving concentration, and enhancing the quality of social interactions. In contrast, electronic abstinence refers to the voluntary or deliberate limitation of digital technology use during specific times or situations. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of digital detox and electronic abstinence on various dimensions of psycho-social health.
Methods: The research design was fundamental in purpose, descriptive in nature, and constituted a systematic review. The research population consisted of scientific articles related to the topic published between 2000 and 2024, retrieved from reputable databases including Google Scholar, Oxford University Press, ResearchGate, Springer, PubMed, Academia, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, SID, and Taylor & Francis. Using purposive sampling, initially 68 articles containing the research keywords (digital detox, electronic screens, digital world, mental health, social health) were included. After applying inclusion criteria (topical relevance, full-text availability, publication year, scientific credibility) and exclusion criteria (lack of direct relevance, duplication, low quality), based on final quality assessment, 25 articles were selected for final analysis to answer the research question.
Findings: Results were analyzed across five age groups: infants and toddlers; elementary school children; adolescents; university students; and adults. In the first category, digital detox was found to improve young children's mood, concentration, sleep, and behavior. In the second category, the findings indicated that this program enhances students’ social interactions at school and reduces distractions while increasing attention and concentration in class. In the third category, digital detox was effective in reducing nomophobia among adolescents. In the fourth category, digital detox was found to improve self-regulation and reduce stress levels among university students. Finally, in the fifth category, electronic abstinence was found to enhance quality of life among adults. Consequently, with few exceptions, all studies confirmed the effectiveness of digital detox and electronic abstinence programs in improving psycho-social health across age groups.
Conclusion: Based on the findings of the current study, collaboration between industry, government, education systems, parents, and relevant institutions and individuals is essential to increase awareness and develop effective digital detox and electronic abstinence programs, particularly for at-risk groups such as children under age two, children with special needs, and students. Overall, the findings of this study indicated that raising awareness and implementing structured programs to mitigate the negative effects of electronic screens is essential. Collaboration of organizations, including the Ministry of Education, with educational officials and school teachers, coupled with parental cooperation for the purposeful implementation of detox programs, leads to improved academic and individual performance of students. This study, by examining the effects of digital detox and electronic abstinence, demonstrated that enhancing all dimensions of individuals' psycho-social health in the digital age is achievable through reducing excessive technology use.

Keywords

• Digital Detox
• Electronic Screens
• Mental Health
• Social Health
• Electronic Abstinence

Main Subjects

• Educational Technology Psychology

COPYRIGHTS 
© 2025 The Author(s).  This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)