A study by the National Bureau of Economics Research has found that Americans would be willing to temporarily deactivate their TikTok accounts for a month in exchange for $59 and would do the same with Instagram for just $47. Additionally, the research has revealed that respondents would be willing to pay $28 and $10, respectively, to have others and themselves temporarily deactivate their accounts.

It seems the allure of real connections is winning over the virtual chaos being active across different social media platforms can create, with many netizens willing to bribe themselves and others into a social media hiatus. However, studies have shown that it is hard for people to break their social media scrolling habits with 77% of employees using social media while on the clock, many of them for up to several hours a day, leading them to be stuck in a digital love-hate relationship.

But hope is on the horizon with Gen Zers leading the charge as this younger cohort had five times more digital detoxes in 2021 than any other generation. Whether it's embracing 'dumb' phones or just taking a screen siesta, people are waking up to the need for a tech intervention and are rediscovering the joys and pleasure of real-life conversations and interactions.