Reducing phone use may support a greater sense of ease, according to short trials, but benefits are not guaranteed. Here we review two studies of changing connection habits and suggest a small space for presence. A useful question is whether you choose when to use your phone or reach for it automatically.
What happened when screen time fell?
A randomized trial published on 21 February 2025 assigned 111 healthy students in Austria to usual phone use or a maximum of two hours daily for three weeks. Stress and well-being scores improved in the reduction group. However, outcomes were self-reported, the trial was unblinded, and use later approached its original level. This does not establish two hours as a universal prescription. [1]
Does constant connection matter?
Another randomized trial, published on 18 February 2025, involved 467 participants. It compared blocking phone internet for two weeks with a waiting-list group, while retaining calls and texts. Mental-health measures and sustained attention improved. Yet only 119 met the predefined adherence threshold, most were already motivated to reduce use, and expectations could have influenced results. [2]
A small space you choose
Here is an optional editorial experiment: choose ten minutes when nothing urgent is expected, and put your phone beyond easy reach while keeping essential communication available. Decide what you want to do instead: drink tea, talk to someone or read a page. When you want to check your phone, notice what you are looking for before deciding whether to open it.
Afterwards, ask whether you were more present with your activity, and whether you needed the phone for a particular reason. Adapt the experiment to your work and responsibilities. These ten minutes are not an intervention established by either study or a treatment for anxiety. They are a way to explore your relationship with attention without requiring total disconnection or judging every screen check.
If movement appeals to you, explore walking meditation. For reflection on presence, distraction and meaning, discover Rouhalkown, a philosophical and reflective book in Arabic (Arabic page). These studies do not establish benefits specific to the book.
Start before bed without cutting off essential contact
Choose a short period before your usual bedtime rather than banning your phone for the whole evening. This is an optional planning exercise, not a treatment for insomnia or a timing recommendation tested in the studies above.
- Keep essentials available. If family or work may need you, preserve a way to reach you. Choose just one app whose automatic use you want to reduce.
- Prepare an alternative first. Put a book or a sheet of paper within reach, then move the phone out of easy reach. Set your alarm beforehand if you use your phone for it.
- Notice why you return. If you open the phone, describe the reason in one word: message, boredom, work or habit. This is information, not a record of failures.
- Review one change. The next day, ask which adjustment was practical. Keep it or change it. Falling asleep immediately is not the test of success.
Do I have to delete social media?
No deletion is required for this experiment. Start by changing where the phone sits or choosing a time for one app. If you work on your phone, identify the task before opening it, complete that task, then return to what you were doing. Adapt the idea to your responsibilities.
Fill the space with one activity: organize a thought on paper, read a page, or try mindful walking somewhere safe. For a separate evening planning exercise, see our before-bed worksheet (Arabic).