The 90s Called. They Want You to Have a Low-Fi Summer.
Analog summer is trending everywhere right now! And, honestly, yes.
It’s signaling a collective vibe check where people are trading the insta and tiktok doomscroll addiction for film cameras, physical books, and touchy feely things like collecting vinyl records or crocheting.
Let’s look at the research: studies continuously show that children and teens who spend more time on devices are more likely to develop addictive behaviors, have difficulty sleeping, and experience cyberbullying. On the flipside, connecting and interacting with actual humans face-to-face is one of the best things you can do for your psychological health.
Here at Practice SF, while we may look at many trends with a healthy dose of clinical skepticism, ‘analog summer’ is one trend we can get behind 100%.
From a mental health perspective, your brain is literally begging for this. Taking a break from your phone and going screen-free for a few hours to a few days (yes, really) helps reset your nervous system, lowers anxiety, and will even quell that cloying voice in your head telling you to compare your life to everyone else's.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of the benefits of going all in on a low-tech summer:
Decreased Anxiety and Depression: Research shows that reducing social media and screen time significantly lowers feelings of comparison, exclusion, generalized anxiety, and overall bad vibes.
Lowered Cortisol Levels: Overstimulation triggers stress responses. Engaging in repetitive, sensory-based activities (like gardening, painting, crochet, starting and expensive record collection) are grounding and allow the nervous system to soothe and balance.
Improved Focus and Creativity: Re-engaging with actual books and hands-on hobbies helps the mind detach from the relentless, hyper-paced digital world, and helps to rebuild your attention span and cognitive resilience.
Deeper Interpersonal Connection: Time away from devices naturally encourages face-to-face interaction, which is widely recognized (across numerous studies) as the strongest predictor of long-term well-being. People are the power!
In the digital age, it’s easy to forget about real-life support systems. Spending time with family and friends without the distraction of screens is actually healing - and an important way that we practice the essential social skills we need for the rest of our lives.
Our challenge to you: This summer, try some ‘no-proof fun’: go do something cool with your friends and don't take a single photo or video of it. Live it IRL. Actual peace of mind is worth way more than views anyway.
Need a little extra support navigating transitions, screen time boundaries, or summer anxiety? The team at Practice SF is here to help your family find balance, offline and on.
