There is a lot of debate over whether or not our phones affect the way we learn. So, I decided to take the matter into my own hands and find out for myself. I decided to take a break from my phone and do a phone detox for a week, and this is how it went.

What I did: I decided to only use my phone for one hour during the week and two hours on the weekend. I would then put my phone in my backpack locked away in a zipper and only get it out after school. I also put a time limit to make sure I wouldn’t overuse my phone when I did the detox. 

How I did it: it took a lot of strength because we don’t realize how often we use our phones. It also was about the mindset asking, why am I grabbing my phone? Instead, I had to think, when I get my phone out, I’m going to do this. I’m only taking my phone out for this reason. 

Results: I noticed I stopped reaching for my phone as much as I used to.  My attention span increased during school and I was able to “lock in” when I needed to. I realized that I didn’t need it as much anymore and I slowly started seeing the sad reality of the world that we are addicted to our phones, even me. The benefit was I started picking up more hobbies. I socialized more than I used to and I even noticed my increase in productivity and that I never had homework anymore!

Why: I wanted to see how much my phone impacted my education and wanted to see why my screen time was so high. I also wanted to see how it would be with the new phone ban that is coming to school.

Overall I think there are only benefits to a phone detox and maybe it’s for the best that we realize how much our phones impact us. Would you give up your phone for a week for the chance to experience life to its fullest?