Elton Jones, a journalist at Tom’s Guide, decided to test how the new Google AI Mode in Search could help with a digital detox and reduce dependence on smartphones and social media. He turned to the tool for suggestions on how to move towards a more “analogue” lifestyle and find offline activities in New York.
AI Mode explained that an effective digital detox relies less on willpower and more on creating “friction” and replacing habits. Instead of abruptly giving up screens, the service advised using physical barriers: leaving your phone in another room or in a timed lockbox while working or eating, so it is not constantly within reach.
Other tips included “decolouring” the screen by switching to greyscale mode to make bright apps less appealing, introducing a “one-hour rule” (no screens for the first hour after waking up and the last hour before bed, using a traditional alarm clock instead), turning off as many unnecessary notifications as possible and, if needed, using blockers such as Flipd, which limit access to your phone during set time periods.
Separately, AI Mode suggested a list of offline activities in New York that help you “touch grass” and spend more time outdoors. These included visiting the quiet Conservatory Garden in the north-eastern part of Central Park, free kayaking sessions on the Hudson run by Downtown Boathouse at Pier 26, walks through the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and “forest bathing” (Shinrin-yoku) in the North Woods of Central Park or in Midwood in Prospect Park.
The service also recommended going on an analogue photo walk with a film or disposable camera in neighbourhoods such as the West Village or Red Hook, attending free night-time stargazing sessions organised by the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York in city parks, and trying a “hydrotherapy” session at thermal baths such as AIRE Ancient Baths in TriBeCa, where phones are banned.
The author wrote that one of the first suggestions he tried was reading a paper book in the Conservatory Garden. According to him, thanks to activities like this, the urge to constantly check notifications gradually diminished. Later, a friend suggested adding a visit to a modern art museum with his own sketches of the exhibits to his “detox playlist”.
AI Mode also drew the journalist’s attention to other noteworthy locations: Little Island park at Pier 55 on the Hudson, The Ramble & The North areas in Central Park, and the La Colombe Coffee Workshop café in SoHo.
Summing up his experience, Elton Jones noted that he does not need to give up digital technology entirely, as a journalist’s job requires constant access to information. At the same time, he plans to consciously limit his smartphone use in his free time and more often choose outdoor activities. In his view, a digital detox is not a one-off event but a long-term process aimed at reducing dependence on the phone, bringing people offline more often and supporting a more “analogue” way of life.