digital detox
/ˈdɪdʒɪtəl ˈdiːtɒks/
CommonA deliberate period of stepping away from screens and social media to reset.
Slightly formal compared to 'logged off' or 'taking a break'. Has wellness-culture associations. Can be genuine or performative. Sometimes mocked lightly when someone announces it loudly online before doing it.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | going on a digital detox for the rest of the month. see you in september | Announcing a planned absence from social media for about a month. | instagram, 2024 |
| 02 | day 3 of my digital detox and i already feel like a different person | Three days without screens has noticeably changed the speaker's mental state. | x, 2023 |
| 03 | i need a digital detox so badly but i also can't put my phone down. make it make sense | Recognizing the need to disconnect while being unable to actually do it. | tiktok, 2024 |
| 04 | back from my digital detox. what did i miss | Returning to social media after an offline period and asking to be caught up. | instagram, 2024 |
Use it when
- Describing a planned break from screens and social media.
- Discussing someone's effort to reduce their screen time intentionally.
- Referring to the wellness practice of deliberately disconnecting.
Do not use it when
- You mean just putting your phone down for an evening.Use “logged-off” instead.
- You are describing a permanent lifestyle change.
Digital detox vs logged off
digital detox
Digital detox implies intention, planning, and often a wellness framing.
VS
logged-off
Logged off is more casual. It can be a single evening or a longer break, with no particular wellness language attached.
Origin and context
Borrowed from the medical concept of detoxification. The phrase entered wellness and lifestyle vocabulary in the early 2010s as smartphones became central to daily life and anxiety about screen time grew.
- First seen
- early-2010s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/digital-detoxUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0