TheChallenge.org: New Study by Finds Reducing Phone Use is Over Twice as Hard as Enduring a Daily Ice Bath

WARSAW, Poland, Aug. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A new social study involving 9,150 participants from 47 countries has revealed a startling modern truth: most people find it significantly harder to reduce their screen time than to plunge into a barrel of ice water every day.

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The study, conducted by the health and wellness project TheChallenge.org, centered on its 31-Day "Digital Detox Challenge." Participants committed to simple rules like two screen-free hours daily and a 30-minute social media cap. Despite the profound benefits reported by those who completed it, the challenge had a completion rate of just 32.5%.

This figure stands in stark contrast to the organization's "Ice Bath Challenge," a physically demanding test of willpower, which saw an 80.6% completion rate among its participants. The data suggests that the psychological pull of our digital devices presents a more formidable barrier to overcome than a significant physical stressor.

"We expected the digital detox to be difficult, but we never imagined people would find it more than twice as hard as plunging into freezing water," said Karol Banaszkiewicz, founder of TheChallenge.org. "It proves that the battle for our own attention is one of the greatest unseen health crises of our time. The struggle is not in our minds; it's real, and the data confirms it."

The paradox of the challenge is that the rewards for success were immense. Among the participants who managed to finish, the results were overwhelmingly positive:

• 90.0% reported an improved mood.
• 85.6% felt a greater sense of daily calm.
• 82.3% experienced decreased stress levels.

The findings highlight a deep disconnect between what people know is good for them—less screen time—and their ability to implement it, pointing to the powerful, habit-forming nature of modern technology.

About TheChallenge.org: TheChallenge.org is a global community dedicated to testing and discovering life-changing habits through free, large-scale social experiments. The project analyzes data from thousands of participants to identify the most effective strategies for improving mental and physical well-being.

TheChallenge.org