Managing Digital Fatigue: From Pandemic Habits to a Healthy 2026 Balance

The digital shift of the early 2020s has taken a toll in many ways. While our reliance on the internet accelerated during the pandemic, those habits have often lingered, leading to what many now call "digital burnout." According to a foundational study in the journal Child And Adolescent Psychology and Mental Health, problematic internet use was already prevalent years ago, with up to 11% of youth experiencing depression and anxiety linked to their online habits.

How Digital Habits Impact Mental Health

In the years following COVID-19, adolescent depression and anxiety rates rose significantly, sometimes reaching 32%. The National Institute of Health (NIH) has noted that a subgroup of vulnerable individuals remains at high risk of developing problematic internet usage patterns. In 2026, we see this manifesting as screen fatigue, "doomscrolling," and a general sense of being "always on."

Recommendations for Healthy Internet Use

In an article for PubMed, the National Institute of Health makes a number of recommendations to curb problematic internet information and communications technology (ICT) use:

General Recommendations

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      Maintain a Structured Routine: Making an activity schedule for each day and week (e.g., planning in advance when one is going to work/study, engage in social activities, or perform leisure activities) is essential. Promoting a daily routine at home, especially for those in remote work or high-tech environments, is very helpful for maintaining a sense of structure.

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Prioritize Foundation Habits: Sleeping regularly and enough, eating healthily, drinking sufficient fluids, and attending to personal hygiene are essential not only to maintain good physical health but also for enhancing psychological well-being.

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Engage in Physical Activity: Regular movement is necessary to keep a healthy body and contributes to boosting mood by reducing levels of stress hormones and stimulating the production of endorphins. Here in Albuquerque, taking advantage of the Sandia Foothills or the Bosque for "screen-free" movement is a powerful tool for immune function and mental clarity.

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Practice Stress-Reduction: Techniques like meditation, reading, and mindfulness exercises help bodies and minds stay aware of emotions. If you are struggling, communicating your feelings with a close friend or a professional therapist can help reduce anxiety.

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Quality Connection: Maintaining relationships is crucial. Families should arrange to spend quality time with each other and have “family time” periods on a regular basis. This includes meaningful conversations, playing social games or sports, and doing household chores together.

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Negotiating Shared Space: For individuals who live together with their family or others, it is useful to find ways of being alone or having some self-time regularly. It helps to negotiate spaces in the house for individual and common use, as well as to establish and respect boundaries (such as doors being open or closed). This helps reduce frustration and conflicts that can arise from being in the same shared space for long periods, a common challenge in our modern work-from-home era.

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Limiting News Exposure: Following the WHO advice to keep up-to-date from reliable news sources in a circumscribed way (e.g., watching a reputable news broadcast once or twice per day at a specified time) while limiting excessive exposure to such news can promote balanced and informed thinking about the world without triggering "doomscrolling" habits.

Specific Recommendations

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Monitor Screen Time: Being conscious of, self-monitoring, and regulating one's screen time (the amount of time spent using all devices with a screen, such as a smartphone, computer, television, or video game console) is essential. Reducing exposure by putting devices somewhere they are not constantly available when engaging in technology-free activities and turning off non-essential notifications can be helpful. Constantly checking social media can have a negative impact on mental well-being.

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Role Modeling for Children: Monitoring and regulating children's behavior is crucial, and it is best done by involving them in rule-making. Additionally, parents are role models; thus, regulating their own ICT-related behaviors (e.g., social media use, aimless surfing) helps children establish controlled use as well. Parents are encouraged to actively participate in the ICT-related behaviors of their children, such as playing video games together, to help regulate usage and promote adaptive online activities.

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Utilize Digital Wellbeing Tools: Using digital wellbeing apps that provide feedback on your screen time can be helpful in raising awareness. Having pre-scheduled technology-free periods and setting specific limits for oneself (e.g., time or financial limits for online shopping, gambling, or gaming) can help maintain a healthy balance.

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Analogue Alternatives: Using analogue technical tools (e.g., wristwatches, alarm clocks) when possible instead of ICT tools may help prevent overuse. For example, checking the time on a smartphone often leads to the use of other applications due to notifications appearing on the locked screen.

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Maintain Meaningful Connections: Keeping in touch with friends, relatives, and acquaintances (via internet or telephone) helps reduce feelings of loneliness and enhances quality of life. ICTs such as group calls, social media groups, and online video games remain useful tools for forming and maintaining relationships across physical distances.

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Seek Help Early: Seeking help if needed is vital. If you are experiencing high levels of distress or significant difficulties controlling internet use or specific online activities (e.g., gambling, gaming, watching pornography), mental health professionals should be contacted. Telehealth and in-person consultations are effective ways to relieve symptoms in the early stages.