How to Break Up with Your Phone by Catherine Price Summary

How to Break Up With Your Phone offers a 30-day plan to reduce smartphone dependency by combining scientific research with actionable strategies. It addresses how app design exploits psychological triggers, explores the mental health impacts of overuse, and provides steps to reclaim focus and intentionality. The revised edition includes a digital detox guide and advice for managing kids’ screen time.

This book is ideal for anyone feeling overwhelmed by compulsive scrolling, parents concerned about modeling healthy tech habits, or professionals seeking productivity fixes. It’s particularly relevant for readers interested in mindfulness, behavioral science, or creating sustainable screen-life balance.

Yes—the book is praised for its evidence-based approach, relatable anecdotes, and pragmatic solutions. Unlike generic detox guides, it merges neuroscience with step-by-step exercises, making it a standout resource for long-term behavior change. Readers call it “optimistic yet realistic” for balancing tech use without total abandonment.

Key ideas include recognizing how app design hijacks attention, rebuilding awareness of unconscious scrolling, and establishing “tech boundaries.” Price emphasizes treating phone habits like a relationship—requiring conscious effort to repair—and highlights improved sleep, creativity, and human connection as detox benefits.

The plan starts with a 7-day “trial separation” (e.g., deleting social media, turning off notifications), followed by gradual reintroduction of tools with intentional limits. Daily exercises include tech-free mornings, designated scroll times, and environmental tweaks like charging phones outside bedrooms.

Price’s “aha moment” came while nursing her infant daughter at night, realizing her phone use modeled unhealthy relationships. As a science journalist and mindfulness practitioner, she combined personal experience with research on attention economics and behavioral addiction.

The 2025 revised edition adds strategies for parenting in the digital age, like setting “family phone rules” and modeling mindful usage. Price argues parents must first fix their own habits to credibly guide children.

This mantra encapsulates the book’s goal: replacing mindless scrolling with activities that spark joy, creativity, or connection. Examples include substituting social media with hobbies, in-person conversations, or tech-free outdoor time.

Some readers find early steps too restrictive (e.g., deleting apps cold turkey) or question the feasibility for certain jobs. However, Price encourages adapting the plan—like scheduling email checks—to maintain practicality.

Unlike one-size-fits-all approaches, Price’s method focuses on long-term behavior change over abstinence. It’s often likened to Marie Kondo’s decluttering philosophy but for digital habits, emphasizing intentionality over elimination.

Yes—reducing screen time correlates with better sleep, reduced anxiety, and enhanced focus, as outlined in studies cited by Price. Users report feeling more present in relationships and less burdened by “digital fatigue”.

Price argues fun is essential for well-being and that phones often distract from genuine joy. Her follow-up book, The Power of Fun, expands on this idea, urging readers to prioritize “active fun” (e.g., hobbies) over passive scrolling.