5 Digital Wellbeing Switches for a Healthier Relationship with Tech

The average UK adult spends 4-6 hours daily on their phone. That’s over 1,800 hours per year–equivalent to 75 full days. Ready for a healthier relationship with technology?

Why Digital Wellbeing Matters

Excessive screen time is linked to:

Poor sleep quality
Reduced attention span
Increased anxiety
Eye strain and headaches
Less face-to-face social interaction

The solution isn’t to abandon technology–it’s to switch how you use it.

Switch #1: Change Your Phone’s Display

Old way: Vibrant, colourful display
New way: Grayscale mode

Reducing colour makes your phone less appealing and dopamine-inducing.

How to enable:

iPhone: Settings > Accessibility > Display > Colour Filters > Grayscale
Android: Settings > Digital Wellbeing > Bedtime mode > Grayscale

I use grayscale after 8pm and my evening screen time dropped by 40%.

Switch #2: Replace Doomscrolling Apps

Old way: Social media before bed
New way: Reading apps or audiobooks

Swap Instagram for Kindle Unlimited ↗ (affiliate link) or Audible ↗ (affiliate link).

Reading improves sleep (screens + social don’t)
Fiction reduces stress by 68% (University of Sussex study)
Audiobooks are perfect for commutes

Switch #3: Phone-Free Mornings

Old way: Check phone immediately after waking
New way: No phone for first hour

Place your phone in another room overnight. Use a traditional alarm clock instead.

This sunrise alarm ↗ (affiliate link) transformed my mornings–I wake up naturally without reaching for my phone.

Switch #4: Notification Detox

Old way: All notifications enabled
New way: Ruthless notification purge

Turn off notifications for everything except:

Calls from contacts
Messages from family
Calendar reminders
Essential apps (banking, etc.)

Average notifications per day:

Before: 120+
After: 8-12

This simple switch reduced my daily interruptions by 90%.

Switch #5: Screen Time Tools

Old way: Unlimited app access
New way: App limits and downtime

Use built-in screen time tools:

iPhone:

Settings > Screen Time > App Limits
Set 15-minute limit for social media

Android:

Digital Wellbeing > Dashboard > Set timers

Recommended Limits:

Social media: 15 mins/day
News apps: 10 mins/day
Games: 20 mins/day (or zero)

Bonus Switch: The “Phone Stack” Rule

When meeting friends, everyone stacks their phones face-down in the centre of the table. First person to check their phone pays the bill.

It’s a game-changer for real conversations.

The Results After 30 Days

My digital wellbeing switches resulted in:

✅ Screen time down from 5.5 hours to 2 hours daily
✅ Finished 3 books (hadn’t finished one in 6 months)
✅ Better sleep–falling asleep 20 minutes faster
✅ More present during conversations
✅ Significantly reduced anxiety

Start Small

Don’t implement all five switches at once. Start with one–I recommend the notification detox.

Track your screen time for a week, make one switch, then measure the difference. Small changes compound over time.

Helpful Apps

While we’re switching away from phone overuse, these apps can help:

Freedom ↗ - Block distracting sites
Forest - Gamified focus timer
One Sec - Adds friction before opening social media
Built-in Screen Time (iOS) or Digital Wellbeing (Android)

Note: This article contains affiliate links for products we’ve personally tested. If you make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.