I Tried 24 Hours Without Screens

The average screen time for teens is 7 hours and 22 minutes a day -- not including time spent on screens for school, according to a 2019 report by Common Sense Media. I too am guilty of going on my phone for an excessive amount of time so I wanted to do an experiment: Can I go 24 hours without any electronics?

I started the experiment on Friday night, November 27th, the day after Thanksgiving, and ended it on Saturday night.

The first couple of hours on Saturday morning were a breeze. I was able to occupy myself by reading, A Velocity of Being, and skateboarding. My family also decorated the Christmas tree that day which was a welcome distraction. It wasn’t until later at night when it really hit me. Around 8:30 p.m., I became bored until luckily my little sister suggested we read together. Thankfully that got me through the evening.

Overall, this experience was surprisingly easy. But I won’t lie, I had a few moments of weakness -- more like forgetfulness. There were a couple of moments when I forgot to abstain and l caught myself glancing at my brother or sister’s screen. And some exceptions were necessary, such as when one of my teachers emailed me about an assignment and I had to reply back.

While I enjoyed this experience, I don’t know if I would do it again. I don’t think it's feasible or realistic in this day and age when so much of our lives are online: it's how we communicate, educate, and learn. I use my phone for many different reasons. Yes, I sometimes find myself aimlessly scrolling through Tik Tok, but I also love listening to podcasts and reading New York Times articles. It was nice to unplug for the weekend and it definitely caused me to become more conscious of how I use my phone.