Digital Detox Day: Making Space for Face-to-Face Connection

If you visited Darlington School on Thursday, you might have noticed a couple of differences. Most students were dressed in “free dress” attire rather than wearing their usual uniforms. And if you walked through the student center, you might have seen more students talking with one another and fewer looking down at their phones. Thursday marked the third year Darlington has hosted Digital Detox Day, a student-led initiative organized by the DarTech Team.

Michelle Xiong, vice president of the DarTech Team and one of the students who helped launch the first Digital Detox Day, shared her goal for students:

“I hope students realized that technology is a powerful tool, but it shouldn’t control how we spend our time. Digital Detox Day wasn’t necessarily about avoiding technology, but about becoming more intentional with how we use it and recognizing the value of being fully present in the world around us.”

The day gives students a chance to notice how often they reach for their phones and discover that they can get through the day without checking them constantly. Setting their phones aside can also create more space to connect with the people and activities around them.

Let’s be honest: the free-dress day is always a nice incentive, and it may be the reason some students choose to participate. But the experience can offer something beyond the incentive. Without their phones, students have more opportunities to talk face to face while walking outside between classes, spending time in the student center, or studying during a free period.

A total of 213 Upper School students chose to participate, nearly half of the student body. Participation by grade was:

• Grade 9: 51%
• Grade 10: 65%
• Grade 11: 42%
• Grade 12: 34%

Making space for those conversations matters. In an article published by the American Psychological Association, the authors state, “Digital technologies offer boundless avenues for connection but cannot fully replace the face-to-face interactions vital to children’s social development.”

Research also offers a reason to pay attention to how students balance screen time with other activities. A study of more than 1 million U.S. students found that teens who spent more time on screens and electronic communication, and less time on activities such as talking with friends in person, tended to report lower overall well-being. This is a reminder to make room for time together away from screens. A readable summary of the study is available by Digital Wellbeing.

Digital Detox Days will continue throughout the year, giving students regular opportunities to experience this balance and reflect on their own technology use. We hope they’ll also feel encouraged to set their phones aside at times when there isn’t a free-dress incentive.