Digital wellbeing unpacked

After surveying over 9,000 people across six countries, Google has concluded that digital wellbeing is about more than just reducing screentime.

Google’s research on people’s relationship with technology explores how often people engage with a specific digital activity and their perception of that activity’s impact on their wellbeing.

As per the survey, as awareness of digital wellbeing gains traction, one in four people have made changes to their technology use to gain a greater sense of digital wellbeing.

Google reveals the top three ways that people changed their behavior in pursuit of digital wellbeing: deleting certain apps on smartphones; changing device notifications to receive fewer unwanted notifications; and reduced time spent on certain apps on smartphones.

The study finds that four in five people who took steps to improve their digital wellbeing reported a positive impact on their overall wellbeing. Most of those who didn’t experience a positive impact attributed it to the fact that it was difficult to adhere to the change.

States the Google study: “It’s important to note that the research found digital activities on their own are not binarily positive or negative. People’s perceptions of them are highly subjective, individual, and context dependent. As the concept of digital wellbeing becomes more entrenched, people will increasingly examine their digital activities.”

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