A study published in PNAS Nexus involved 467 participants who were asked to refrain from internet access on their smartphones for two weeks. This detox led to a significant reduction in daily screen time, dropping from 314 minutes to 161 minutes. Participants reported notable improvements in mood, sustained attention, and overall mental health, with researchers suggesting that these changes could equate to reversing ten years of cognitive decline. Even partial participation in the detox yielded benefits, as confirmed by Georgetown University's associate professor Kostadin Kushlev. Complementary research from Harvard published in JAMA Network Open indicated that just one week without smartphones could alleviate anxiety, depression, and insomnia. The urgency of these findings comes as legal actions against tech giants intensify, with a California jury ordering Meta and YouTube to pay £4.7 million to a woman over addiction claims. Meanwhile, Massachusetts is moving towards banning social media for under-14s, and Indonesia has already instituted a similar ban for those under 16. The overarching message from researchers is that while quitting social media entirely isn't necessary, taking breaks can significantly benefit mental health.