The smartphone has become an extension of our hand, and infinite scrolling, second nature. In France, we spend on average more than 54 hours per month on social networks.
Faced with this observation of hyperconnection, the “OFF” movement, launched in 2024, offers a unique challenge: Off February. Like the alcohol-free month, this international campaign invites everyone to regain control of their attention to prioritize well-being and human interactions.
The strength of the collective: “It takes a village to raise a child“
One of the biggest challenges of disconnection is feeling isolated. This is where the group nature of Off February takes on its full meaning. For Professor Ludovic Gicquel, child psychiatrist in Poitiers, this collective response is the key to success.
“If social networks can represent a collective scourge, it is entirely relevant that the response is also collective. he explains. Based on the adage “it takes a village to raise a child”, the specialist emphasizes that group mobilization transforms an individual constraint into a virtuous dynamic.
“It is less complex to abstain from drinking at a party if no one is drinking. It’s the same thing here: if all their friends participate, the young person – or the adult – no longer feels the guilt of being the only one to stop.”
Sleep, concentration, mental health, the challenges of hyperconnection
If health authorities are concerned, it is because the impact of screens has now been documented. ANSES warns in particular of the deterioration of the quality of sleep: blue light and cognitive excitement delay falling asleep, promoting irritability and depressive symptoms.
Beyond physiology, it is the very structure of thought that is at stake. The OFF movement reminds us that hyperconnection seriously harms concentration and social interactions. In Sweden, as in France with recent legislative proposals aimed at restricting social networks to those under 15, the awareness is political: school and home must once again become “sanctuaries” of human-to-human relationships.
Finding your free will through the “before/after” experience
Taking a 28-day digital break is not a punishment, but an experiential experience. For Professor Gicquel, the major interest lies in the capacity for comparison that this offers to the individual.
“Taking a break allows you to make an extraordinary comparison between the ‘during’ and the ‘after’” he specifies.
“Human beings are fully capable of comparing their state when they check their cell phone fifty times a day versus when they do without it.”
This distancing allows us to actually see the benefits: better sleep, renewed attention and increased presence with others. In short, according to the expert, it is a question of “rediscovering a form of free will” in the face of algorithms.
Recover 54 hours of life per month
Diego Hidalgo Demeusois, the initiator of the movement, insists on the “celebration of time regained”. By uninstalling TikTok, Instagram or X for a month, we free up precious time that screens had “cannibalized”.
These recovered hours can be reinvested in activities fundamental to health:
- Physical activity and outdoor walks;
- Real sociability (discussing, cooking together);
- Complete rest or simple reverie, essential to creativity.
The idea is not to reject technology definitively, but to place it at the service of humans, and not the other way around. Indeed, Off February is neither a stigmatization nor a technological step backwards, but an invitation to lucidity.
As Professor Ludovic Gicquel reminds us, man is a social animal, and for this dimension to be fully expressed, we must start by being truly present to others. Will you attempt the challenge this year?