Almost 57% of Spaniards are considering a digital detox

56.5 percent of Spaniards have considered a digital detox, meaning Disconnect from screens and get rid of social media to improve your quality of life and mental health or get closer to the “offline” world during constant hyperconnection.

This is one of the revelations thatGeneración SPCial study on the digital disconnection habits of young Spaniards‘, for which SPC has teamed up with Screens Amigas founder and safe and healthy use expert Jorge Flores.

Together they teamed up to analyze this reality and find out what people who identify with this new way of relating to technology are like, through a study conducted among 1,000 Spaniards aged 18 to 35.

One of the first findings is that daily smartphone use is around five hours a day, among other things to browse their social media profiles or connect with family and friends via messaging platforms.

Given this situation, 75.5 percent of Spaniards seriously suggested using mobile phones less. Of these, 28.8% admitted that they had never done it, 32.5% admitted that they had done it but then reused it; although 14.3 percent managed to maintain this habit forever.

The SPC noted that it is social networks that are encouraging young Spaniards to opt for so-called digital detox, to the point that 56.6 percent of those surveyed have thought about it and six out of ten know someone who has joined this trend.

In this sense, the company insists that “digital disconnection is creating a trend,” according to SPC Marketing Director Irene Manterola, who noted that the most common reasons for considering or adopting the practice are to reduce screen time, improve quality of life and mental health.

In fact, the study shows that of those who did a digital detox, 12.6 percent did so to connect with the offline world, “achieving greater presenteeism on a daily basis, which is important for promoting healthy relationships,” Manterola said.

Digital detox is one option that users believe improves their relationship with screens, with 87 percent of respondents agreeing. As for preferred options for promoting healthy connections between people and screens, there are deleting social media apps (38%) and controlling usage time with alternatives provided by smartphones themselves (37%). However, only 27.9% currently say they check this information on mobile devices.

In this sense, the company aims to encourage a return to “dumb phones,” or non-smartphones that offer a less complex user interface that allows you to stay connected through calls and messages.

In this sense, the analysis confirms that the use of these devices is “growing”, as 12.2 percent of the population has decided to change their “smartphone” for a phone without the Internet, and 19.5 percent of respondents know someone who has already done so.

For Flores, using these terminals is “an interesting option because they allow people to choose when they want to connect,” so “it’s an opportunity for adults to renew that disconnect and be a positive example for kids.”

In this sense, SPC notes that Generation Z is made up of young people who understand the importance of mental health and emotional balance, so “dumb phones” are “positioned as the perfect tool for younger generations to discover the experience of living with fewer obligations and digital distractions, and to have more control over their time and their lives,” according to the founder of Screens Amigas.
NPC WILD

In response to this need for digital disconnection, the Spanish company announced SPC WILD, a device without internet access that “responds to the growing demand for products that allow us to move a certain distance away from hyperconnection,” as explained at the meeting.

The terminal provides up to 10 days of battery life with 1 hour of daily calls and has the basic functions of a mobile phone: a flashlight, a camera, a speakerphone function, FM radio, a calendar for 500 contacts, 4G connectivity and even a 2000s Snake game.

SPC has announced that the SPC WILD will be available throughout the summer in three different colors – Caribbean Green, Power Pink and Night Black – and a retro style.