A growing body of research links heavy social media use not only to declines in mental health but to measurable cognitive effects on attention, memory and focus.

Science also suggests we have more control than we realize when it comes to reversing this damage, and the solution is surprisingly simple: Take a break.

Researchers differentiate between internet use on phones versus computers, with phones being much worse than computers.

The research into digital detoxes and how to define them is still in its early stages, raising questions about whether more targeted approaches might prove as effective.