We traded our smartphones for flip phones for 4 days—and learned that ditching modern technology is harder than it sounds

Neither reporter wanted to test five or more days due, to workplace ramifications: On flip phones, they couldn't access authenticator apps, sources from previous projects or record audio from their phone calls. But even a four-day break can boost your mental health "if you replace your smartphone activity with the right kind of activity, one that either engages your senses like walking in the sunshine, or your imagination like reading," says Carissa Véliz , an associate professor of philosophy at the Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford. The parameters of the experiment, including its duration, were based on academic research and recommendations from experts including Véliz and Anastasia Dedyukhina , director of Consciously Digital Institute , which aims to help organizations and individuals develop healthier relationships with technology. Just two weeks of blocking internet access on smartphones boosted mood, restored attention or improved well-being for 91% of participants in a small February 2025 study conducted by researchers at organizations including the University of Alberta and Georgetown University. But in another study, participants who were enthusiastic to swap their smartphones for dumb phones reported more psychological benefits than participants who felt neutral going into the one week experiment, found researchers from Stanford University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. …