One Week to Wellness: A Pre–post Experimental Study on the Effects of a Seven-day Digital Detox Intervention on Psychological Well-being, Cognitive Functioning, and Life Satisfaction in University Students
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Abstract
Digital media overconsumption has emerged as a pervasive behavioral phenomenon with substantial implications for mental health, cognitive performance, and subjective well-being among university student populations. Despite a growing body of literature documenting the deleterious effects of excessive smartphone and social media use, empirical evidence on the efficacy of short-term, voluntarily initiated digital detox interventions remains scarce. The present pre–post study examined the psychological consequences of a structured seven-day screen time reduction protocol in a sample of N = 77 undergraduate and graduate students. Participants were instructed to limit daily screen time to a maximum of two hours across all non-academic digital devices. Objective screen time data were collected via integrated device usage tracking applications, and self-report measures assessed positive affect, concentration, sleep quality, procrastination, perceived stress, subjective productivity, social connectedness, and life satisfaction on Likert-type scales (1–5) at baseline (Day 0) and post-intervention (Day 7). Results revealed a dramatic and statistically significant reduction in mean daily screen time (from M = 6.48 to M = 2.03 hours; Cohen’s d = 3.05). All psychological outcome variables showed large-to-very-large intervention effects (Cohen’s d range: 1.41–2.28). Structural equation modeling confirmed a coherent pathway from reduced screen time through stress reduction and improved concentration to enhanced productivity and life satisfaction (CFI = .96; RMSEA = .048). Moderation analyses demonstrated that participants with the highest baseline screen usage (> 7 hours/day) exhibited the most pronounced concentration gains (d = 0.57). These findings provide robust evidence for the rapid psychological benefits of even short-term digital self-regulation and carry direct implications for university mental health programming and digital literacy interventions.
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