Key Takeaways
- The average U.S. life expectancy decreased for the first time between 2017 and 2019, and Americans are 10 times more likely to have a depressive illness than they were 60 years ago.
- The introduction of the front-facing camera on smartphones in 2010 led to drastic increases in anxiety and depression.
- The average 18-year-old in 2025 is on pace to have a 90-year life span, with 93% of their free time spent on screens, equivalent to 27 years of their life.
- Humanality’s digital detox program offers individuals help to break their digital addiction through a 12-week program, focusing on being light, giving, and present.
Introduction to Digital Detox
Andrew Laubacher, a touring Catholic musician, decided to quit social media completely in 2018, despite his recording label’s disapproval. This decision led him to become the executive director of Humanality, a nonprofit organization that helps people discover freedom through an intentional relationship with technology. Laubacher spoke to hundreds of young Catholics at SEEK 2026 in Denver, Colorado, about the negative effects of social media on the human person, including depression, anxiety, and body image issues.
The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health
Laubacher highlighted data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which showed that the average U.S. life expectancy decreased for the first time between 2017 and 2019. He also cited research from Jonathan Haidt’s 2024 book The Anxious Generation, which found that the introduction of the front-facing camera on smartphones in 2010 led to drastic increases in anxiety and depression. Laubacher shared his personal experience of how social media affected his life, including constant comparison, lust, loneliness, and mindless scrolling. He found that when he quit social media, his friendships, purity, productivity, and prayer all improved.
The Effects of Technology on Human Behavior
Laubacher explained that the way people have grown up with technology has changed everything, including the way they think, behave, relate to each other, sleep, and perceive reality. He emphasized that algorithms are shaping people’s perception of what is true, and that living life scrolling through platforms can prevent individuals from being their true selves. Laubacher noted that the average 18-year-old in 2025 is on pace to have a 90-year life span, with 334 months of free time, but 93% of that time will be spent on screens, equivalent to 27 years of their life.
Breaking Digital Addiction
Laubacher offered practical tools to help individuals gain more freedom from digital media, highlighting three ways from Humanality’s digital detox program: be light, be giving, and be present. "Be light" focuses on stopping nighttime scrolling and acknowledging the difference between daytime and nighttime. Laubacher explained that people spend 90% of their time indoors, and when they scroll on their phones at nighttime, the light from the screen tells the brain it’s daytime, leading to mental health and sleep disorders. "Be giving" turns the self-centered nature of social media to one where individuals think outside of themselves, leading to a more happy and healthy life. "Be present" aims to teach people how to be present with themselves, others, and God.
The Importance of Intentional Technology Use
Laubacher emphasized that his mission is to help people get their time back and invest it in things that matter most. He encouraged individuals to use technology as a tool, rather than being controlled by it. Laubacher shared that learning to love God, neighbors, and oneself is the scariest, best, and most amazing adventure in life, and that technology can prevent individuals from getting to know themselves and their true potential. By implementing the three ways of being light, giving, and present, individuals can start to use technology intentionally and break their digital addiction.