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As screen time rises globally, experts say disconnecting from devices is becoming essential for wellbeing. Is being offline the new luxury in the digital age?
People increasingly seek moments away from screens as experts highlight the importance of digital balance and mindful technology use.
In an age where smartphones rarely leave our hands and notifications constantly compete for attention, the idea of disconnecting from the digital world is beginning to feel unusual, almost indulgent. But according to Dr Rekha Chaudhari, Global Wellness Ambassador, founder, World Digital Detox Day, this shift was something she had anticipated years ago.
Back in 2016, when conversations around digital wellbeing were still limited, Dr. Chaudhari began speaking about the importance of maintaining balance with technology. At the time, technology was widely celebrated as the defining progress of the modern era. Smartphones were becoming more powerful, social media platforms were expanding rapidly, and digital connectivity was transforming how people worked, communicated and lived.
Yet even then, she sensed a deeper concern emerging beneath the excitement.
Technology, she believed, would not simply assist human life, it would begin to constantly stimulate it. Notifications, messages, videos and endless streams of updates would increasingly compete for human attention, creating a world where people were surrounded by screens from morning until night.
It was during this period that Dr. Chaudhari first articulated an idea that many initially found unusual.
“Offline is the new luxury,” she says. Nearly a decade later, that statement appears increasingly relevant.
While technology has undeniably improved lives, connecting families across continents, expanding access to education, enabling businesses and providing instant access to information, it has also reshaped everyday habits in subtle but significant ways.
Human behaviour, Dr. Chaudhari notes, often follows a predictable pattern with new technology: first people welcome it, then they begin to depend on it, and gradually, often without realising it, they become attached to it.
Today, that attachment is visible everywhere. Many people reach for their phones before even beginning their day. Children grow up surrounded by screens before they fully experience outdoor play. Families may sit together in the same room, yet conversations grow quieter as individuals become absorbed in their own digital worlds.
The transformation did not happen overnight. Instead, technology gradually entered every aspect of daily life, reshaping routines, attention spans and interactions.
As a result, moments away from screens are beginning to feel rare and increasingly valuable.
A walk without checking a phone.
A dinner where conversations flow uninterrupted.
A child discovering the joy of outdoor play without the pull of a device.
These seemingly simple experiences remind people of aspects of human connection that technology cannot replicate.
Importantly, the challenge is not technology itself. Digital tools remain powerful and beneficial. The concern arises when those tools begin to shape behaviour, relationships and mental space in ways people barely notice.
Human beings, Dr. Chaudhari emphasises, require certain fundamental experiences to thrive, silence, eye contact, movement, time in nature and meaningful conversations.
Digital wellbeing researchers across the world have raised similar concerns. Dr. Sarah Genner has noted that the pressure to remain constantly connected through devices is growing in modern societies.
“Being offline is a luxury these days because many everyday services are tied to smartphones and the pressure to be constantly available is increasing,” she says.
In such an environment, choosing to step away from screens becomes less about disconnecting from the world and more about reconnecting with life itself.
The effects of constant digital stimulation are also becoming more widely recognised. Experts point to fragmented attention, disrupted sleep patterns and weakening quality of interpersonal interactions as common consequences of excessive screen engagement.
Against this backdrop, even small moments of digital pause are gaining significance.
When someone sets aside their phone to truly listen, the interaction becomes more meaningful. When families spend time together without screens, the experience often becomes more memorable. When children discover enjoyment beyond digital devices, it strengthens curiosity and imagination.
Nearly a decade after she first introduced the idea, Dr Chaudhari believes the concept of digital detox is gradually gaining wider recognition.
In a world that never stops scrolling, the ability to pause is becoming rare. In a world full of notifications, silence can feel refreshing.
And in an era of constant connectivity, being offline may indeed be becoming the new luxury.
March 08, 2026, 20:00 IST