Smartphone reduction linked to improved mental health

A study from the University for Continuing Education in Krems indicates that reducing smartphone usage to under two hours per day significantly improves mental health. After three weeks, participants reported a 27 percent decrease in depressive symptoms, a 16 percent reduction in stress, an 18 percent increase in sleep quality, and a 14 percent rise in general well-being.

Psychologist Roswitha Wernig notes that the human brain is evolved to perceive all stimuli for survival, making the rapid-fire information from platforms like Instagram or TikTok the opposite of relaxation. This finding is supported by an ORF experiment involving approximately 46,000 students across Austria, Germany, South Tyrol, and Switzerland, who observed similar benefits after turning off their smartphones for three weeks.