Digital Detox Toolkit

Digital Detox Toolkit:
Resources & Guideance to help you get the balance right

DIGITAL DETOX TOOLKIT

We have curated a series of resources to help to you take control of your digital life. This is by no means exhaustive, but we hope you find it helpful as a starting point.

Getting Started

Screen Time:
How much is too much?

Excessive screen time is one of the biggest barriers to good mental health in Ireland, with 36% of people saying screens prevent them from supporting their wellbeing.

Read

Digital Detox Works

Reducing your smartphone usage can effectively improve mental health, sleep and other well-being metrics

Read

Why stepping away from social media matters

Taking a break from social media can improve mental health, sleep, productivity, and real-life relationships by reducing anxiety, comparison, and digital overload.

Read

Barriers to Sleep

Adults who use a mobile phone or tablet directly before going to bed are less likely to get a good night’s rest, according to a study.

Read

Books / Audio Books

The Anxious Generation

How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. Author: Jonathan Haidt

How to Break up with your Phone

A smart, practical and useful plan to help you conquer your mobile phone addiction in just 30 days - and take back your life in the process.

Smartphone Nation

This life-changing guide provides practical tips for talking to kids about smartphone use, covering tricky topics like misogyny, body image, sexual content and misinformation.

The Phone Fix

Neuroscientist Faye Begeti explains the science behind why we have formed so many fixed and negative habits around our devices.

The Social Dilema

How big social media companies manipulate users by using algorithms that encourage addiction to their platforms.

NETFLIX

Bad Influence

In this eye-opening documentary exposé, teens and parents reveal disturbing accounts of abuse and exploitation within the world of child influencers.

NETFLIX

Childhood 2.0

Featuring actual parents and kids as well as industry-leading experts in child safety and development, this documentary dives into the real-life issues facing kids today — including cyberbullying, online predators, suicidal ideation, and more.

YOUTUBE

The Instagram Affect

The story of how Instagram became the dominant force it is today, told by former staff and insiders and through powerful testimony from users who have been negatively impacted.

BBC3

Podcasts/Video

Is Social Media Corrupting your Brain?

Social Media and how it controls our behaviours, social comparison and what makes TikTok addivitve.

Spotify

Is Social Media Dead?

Have we had enough of the carefully curated photos, endless arguments and targeted advertising? Why so many of us are switching off!

Spotify

How to end your smarphone addiction

Learn how our phones tap into the brain’s reward system and what we can do to reclaim control.

YouTube

How to Defeat your Social Media Addiction

How much are our phones affecting our brains, attention span and our ability to remember things!? What we can do to fix it.

Spotify

Websites

Common Sense Media

A nonprofit that puts kids' safety and well-being first in the digital era. Together with families, educators, and policymakers, we're leading the way to a safer, healthier childhood.

Centre for Humane Technology

A nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that today's most consequential technologies, such as AI and social media, actually serve humanity.

Entertainment Software Ratings Board

A non-profit ratings board helping parents make informed choices about the age-appropriateness and content of video games and apps.

WebWise

An internet-safety centre, equipping schools, families and young people with advice, resources and tools to use the web safely and responsibly.

Digital Parenting - Keeping your kids safe online

Produced by the National Parents Council this resource offers advice on everything from Parental controls to sexting and pornography.

Download

5 Strategies for Parents to Free the Anxious Generation

The shift from

a “play-based childhood” to a “phone-based childhood” has led to social isolation. This excellent guide tackles the root cause of anxiety in many of our young people today.

Download

TiKTok - A quick guide for Parents & Teens

A concise parent-teen guide explaining how to use TikTok safely, manage privacy, and encourage healthy digital habits

Download

SnapChat

Essential advice on Snapchat. Everything from disappearing messages to location sharing and social-media stress.

Read

Parental Controls & Instructional Videos

Google Family Link

A free tool from Google to help parents set screen-time limits, manage apps and filter content while kids use devices. Ideal for Android devices.

Qustodio

A comprehensive parental-control and digital-wellbeing platform to help monitor screen use, filter content, and build healthy online habits.

How to setup parental controls on an Android phone with Google Family Link

This video will walk you through everything you need to consider when setting up android parental controls, including how to set up Google Family Link and other 3rd party monitoring software.

Take control of your child's iPhone & iPad

How to Set Up Screen Time for Kids on iPhone and iPad

Brian Curtin, CBS Primary School, Ennis

“Jackie approaches such a serious topic in a way that we can all relate to. She has perfected the blend of technical information sharing and practical advice giving and does so with great humour and personality.”