"You know that annoying stereotype about Gen Z being glued to their phones, physically incapable of putting them down to interact with the real world? The claim that we spend more time mindlessly scrolling than actually connecting with others, all while our attention spans are dwindling to nothing? As much as I’d love to roll my eyes and laugh it off as yet another “back in my day” moment, according to my screen time, it’s—unfortunately—true in my case.
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My phone is so ingrained in my daily routine that I barely realize how much time I spend scrolling with no real purpose. I’m on some form of a screen pretty much every moment of the day. Even when I’m not actively scrolling, I’ve got something playing in the background—whether it’s a YouTube video during my skincare routine or a podcast while I cook dinner. In 2025, I decided this needed to change. So I challenged myself to reduce my screen time for a week to see what would happen. Here’s how it went.
How many hours of screen time is healthy?
If you’re reading this, you probably already know you spend too much time on screens. But how much is too much? According to Health, the average American clocks 28.5 hours of recreational screen time per week. While there’s no universally agreed-upon “golden number,” experts say overconsumption can lead to digital eye strain, impaired sleep, and mental health issues. It’s not just about how much screen time you’re racking up but also how and what you consume.
Mindless scrolling? No benefits. Spending that same time learning French on Duolingo? That’s a different story. However, my phone addiction falls exclusively into the former category.
What happens if you reduce screen time?
As much as I love a good TikTok scroll, there’s no denying its adverse effects. According to Stanford Lifestyle Medicine, excessive screen time can harm learning, memory, sleep, and mental health and can even increase the risk of early neurodegeneration. It might not feel like a big deal to tap through Instagram stories, but it adds up over time. Reducing screen time creates space for healthier habits. You can get outside, read a book, or connect with people IRL, all of which have proven positive impacts. It’s a simple concept: with less scrolling, there’s more doing.
How to reduce screen time
Reducing screen time should be easy… Just put your phone away, right? But it’s easier said than done. Obviously, the world kept spinning even though I was embarking on a potentially life-changing journey, so I couldn’t completely shut out contact with all screens. I still have a job to get done and need my phone to communicate with people in my life. Going into the challenge, my screen time was six hours and 42 minutes. I aimed to lower this by limiting my phone, TV, and computer use outside of work as well. While I couldn’t fully disconnect, I tried to avoid using any screens for entertainment, and let me tell you, it wasn’t easy.
My experience reducing my screen time for one week
Day 1
I always knew I was chronically online, but day one proved how strong my phone’s hold on me was. From the moment I woke up, I instinctively reached for my phone every 20 minutes, opening Instagram without realizing it. It wasn’t even because I wanted to scroll; it was just pure habit.
The hardest part of this day was finding other ways to decompress. My screen time has always been my “me time,” and I was forced to find new ways to achieve that same relaxation without it. I’ve always been a big reader, so while I did read even more than usual, that’s already part of my daily routine, and a girl can only read so much before she starts to go stir-crazy. I felt like the Kim Kardashian pilgrim meme trying to entertain myself without my phone, and my urge to scroll was so high that I regretted taking on this challenge. By the end of the day, I’d spent one hour and 46 minutes on my phone. My top apps were TikTok (18 minutes), Instagram (15 minutes), and Slack (14 minutes). At first, I was disappointed that the number wasn’t even lower, but I had to accept that hitting zero minutes was unrealistic.
Day 2
On Tuesday, I realized how much of my routine revolves around screens. I wake up to my phone alarm, watch a YouTube video while getting ready, sip coffee while playing Wordle, and then dive into work. By the end of the day, I’d typically watch TV while eating dinner and scroll myself to sleep. I hated how much I relied on my phone, but breaking that routine wasn’t easy. I tried to implement new strategies, listening to podcasts while on a walk when I would have watched TV and getting out of the house more so there wasn’t as much time to scroll. However, my phone was still on my mind all day. While my overall screen time was 40 minutes higher than on day one, 53 minutes was on Slack for work, and I still shaved off 14 minutes of entertainment time.
Day 3
By Wednesday, I realized that my go-to excuse that I “don’t have time” to do (insert whatever goal or task I’m procrastinating here) is B.S. I have plenty of time. I just wasted so much of it on my phone. When I took away the hours I spent procrastinating starting dinner or doing laundry by scrolling on social media, suddenly, my days freed up a little. With less time on my phone, I could be far more intentional about how I wanted to spend my time. I finally found the time to call my grandma, opened the high-yield savings account I said I would do for months, and finished a book on my TBR list I’ve wanted to start. My most used apps were Safari for 26 minutes, The Cut website for 25 minutes, and Messages for 22. It was the first time TikTok didn’t sneak into the top three, which is a win in my book.
Day 4
Thursday was when I really hit my stride in this experiment. I no longer craved my phone and wasn’t counting down the time left on this experiment by the hour. Scrolling felt less like a habit and more like a choice. I’m not perfect, and I still spent 20 minutes on Instagram and 12 on TikTok, but I wasn’t constantly picking up my phone anymore, which felt like a massive shift. I also didn’t compare my life to those I always see on social media. I didn’t feel guilty for my morning routine not starting at 5 a.m. and being filled with journaling, workouts, and meditation like the ones I see daily on TikTok. I wasn’t even thinking about them, much less holding myself to that standard—something I didn’t realize I did until I stopped.
Day 5
Just looking at Friday, you would think it was a higher screen time day, but it was actually one of my best days if you don’t count the 43 minutes spent directing me on maps. I mean, I’m driving, not looking at my phone, so it definitely shouldn’t be considered screen time. My other top-used apps besides Maps were the New York Times games and Spotify. By day five, I also felt like I could focus deeply on one task in a way I couldn’t with my previous screen time habits. Of course, it takes longer than five days to see long-term health benefits, but I was already seeing improvements in my attention span.
Day 6
By Saturday, I still didn’t crave my phone like I did on Monday, but without work, there was a lot more free time where I was tempted to scroll. I remained strong, but I did spend 30 minutes on TikTok and 15 on Instagram, which wasn’t quite as good as Thursday and Friday. However, before this week, my Saturdays were pretty much seen as a time to rot in bed on my phone exclusively. Factoring that in, and the fact that this was the week of the TikTok “ban,” and we all thought it was disappearing forever that night, 30 minutes is pretty great.
Day 7
When I started reducing my screen time, I thought I would be throwing a literal party on Sunday to celebrate it being over, but I could have easily kept it going. I loved that my mornings began slowly without any distractions from social media. I could read and enjoy my coffee peacefully instead of being immediately bombarded with information on Instagram and TikTok. After work, I didn’t just sit on the couch scrolling. I made plans with friends to grab a drink, strolled around the neighborhood, and read or listened to podcasts when I wanted to relax at home alone. I also no longer felt the guilt of realizing I only meant to be on my phone for a few minutes and accidentally letting an hour pass completely derailed my schedule for the evening. On the last day of the challenge, I spent 27 minutes on Instagram, 23 minutes on Substack, and 10 minutes on Safari.
What was the result of reducing screen time?
My weekly average before reducing my screen time was six hours and 42 minutes (which, mind you, was down 11 percent from the week before), and during the challenge, it was two hours (a 71 percent reduction!). Previously, my top three apps were TikTok, which had 20 hours and 18 minutes throughout the week; YouTube, which had 10 hours; and Instagram, which had four hours and 26 minutes. Now, they are Instagram with two hours and one minute, TikTok with one hour and 58 minutes, and Slack with one hour and 21 minutes.
In our digital world, technology is such a large part of our lives it can feel impossible to disconnect, but I saw such a significant change in my life just reducing the amount of time I spend with it. Even though this experiment is over, I am much more mindful about how much time I spend scrolling. I still love the internet and social media, but I no longer feel like I have to spend hours online to stay in the pop culture loop. If you’re even considering reducing your screen time, trying this experiment is a must.
Lauren Blue, Assistant Editor
As an Assistant Editor for The Everygirl, Lauren ideates and writes content for every facet of our readers’ lives. Her articles span the topics of must-read books, movies, home tours, travel itineraries—and everything in between. When she isn’t testing the latest TikTok trend, she can be found scouring Goodreads for new releases to feature on the site.