Research Visualization
Researchers gave 467 people a simple challenge: block the internet on your smartphone for 14 days. The results were striking.
91%
of participants improved on at least one outcome
Well-being, mental health, or the ability to focus — nearly everyone got better at something.
Participants went from over 5 hours of daily screen time to under 3 — and even after the block was lifted, they didn't fully bounce back.
49% less daily screen time
Still 16% below baseline
The researchers measured well-being, mental health, and focused attention — all three improved significantly during the internet block.
Life satisfaction and positive feelings went up
73%
felt better
Less anxiety, depression, and anger
71%
improved
Objectively measured ability to sustain attention
59%
scored higher
To put these numbers in context, researchers compared them to well-known benchmarks. The results surprised even the authors.
Mental health improvement
The effect on depression symptoms was larger than the average effect of antidepressant medication across clinical trials.
Attention improvement
years
The boost in sustained attention was equivalent to reversing 10 years of age-related decline, as measured by the same cognitive test.
It also closed about 25% of the gap between healthy adults and those with ADHD on the same attention task.
Without mobile internet, people didn't just sit around. They replaced screen time with activities that are known to improve well-being.
Went up
Went down
Texting and calling were not blocked and stayed the same — the intervention only targeted internet access.
Blocking mobile internet triggered a cascade of positive changes. Each link in the chain contributed to better well-being and mental health.
People who felt the most “Fear of Missing Out” (FoMO) before the study saw the biggest improvements — perhaps because the phone itself was fueling that anxiety.
The relationship was consistent: the more FoMO someone felt at the start, the more their well-being and mental health improved when mobile internet was blocked.
This held true across the entire range — even people with low FoMO still benefited, just less dramatically.
Only about 1 in 4 participants fully complied for the whole two weeks. But here's the thing: even the non-compliant participants improved. Just reducing internet use helped.
Signed up
Installed the blocking app
Fully compliant (14 days)
Participants texted how they were feeling four times per week. Those blocking the internet felt progressively better — and the benefits persisted even after the block was lifted.
Who participated?
467 American and Canadian iPhone users, average age 32. Most wanted to reduce their phone use.
What was blocked?
All mobile internet (Wi-Fi and cellular data on the phone). Texts, calls, and internet on laptops/tablets still worked.
How long?
Two weeks of blocked internet, with measurements before, during, and two weeks after.
How was it tracked?
The "Freedom" app blocked internet access and tracked whether the block was active each day.
Constant access to the internet through our phones comes at a real cost to our attention, mental health, and happiness. Even a partial reduction in mobile internet use can help — you don't have to go cold turkey.
Castelo, N., Kushlev, K., Ward, A. F., Esterman, M., & Reiner, P. B. (2025). Blocking mobile internet on smartphones improves sustained attention, mental health, and subjective well-being. PNAS Nexus, 4(2), pgaf017.
Read the full paper