Students at Quincy University are being encouraged to step away from their screens and refocus on their well-being through a new April Wellness Challenge centered on digital detoxing.

Organized by Hawk Life it is about inviting students to reset their relationship with their phones by completing seven self-selected mini-challenges throughout the month. The goal is to help students establish healthier boundaries with their phones and reduce screen time, so that the students can become more present in their daily routines.

With smartphones and laptops playing a central role in both academic and social life at QU, the challenge comes at a time where a QU student like Nana Lobzhanidze reports feeling overwhelmed by constant connectivity.

” I signed up for the mental health challenge because I think that as student-athletes it’s important we’re aware of how much time we spend on our phones, especially at night, because our phones have red light. It can mess with our sleep, which can lead to poor recovery and focus during our classes. And I think that it can mess also with our productivity because it can make our attention more broad, and I think that being aware of that can help us perform better in class and on the court,” Lobzhanidze said.

This wellness challenge tries to provide practical and manageable ways for students to disconnect without requiring a full break from their phones.

The students who are in the challenge can choose from a variety of activities designed to promote mindfulness and balance. Options include avoiding screens for the first 30 minutes after waking up, taking a two-hour phone-free break during the day, or going on a 20-minute walk without any devices.

“I think it’s a great challenge for students to connect more with one another. There’s a lot of people on this campus and especially during lunchtime or when everybody’s in the cafeteria, a lot of people are just kind of like zoned in on their phones. I feel like it’s a good opportunity to kind of talk to people and invest in other people’s lives. And I feel like social media is just rotting our brains so much to the point of our attention spans decreasing and just overall having a negative impact in our lives. So I think it’s a great challenge,” Dasha Safronova said.

Other challenges encourage students to remove energy-draining apps temporarily, eat meals at lunch without phones, and avoid phone use before bedtime.

More structured approaches are also included, such as using airplane mode while studying or practicing the Pomodoro technique without checking phones during breaks. For those looking to improve nighttime habits, alternatives like journaling or reading instead of scrolling are also an option.

Students are free to choose what they focus on and they can base it on their own schedules and their own personal goals, which for some students are making the program flexible and accessible. By completing at least seven challenges over the course of April, students can actively work toward building healthier digital habits and they get a gift for participating.

“We thought it would be a good opportunity in April to focus on detoxing from that, and so that you’re able to kind of not only self-monitor a little bit about how much time you spend on a screen, but also encourage you to think outside the box and spend time doing other things that might be more grounding and bring you back out into the world again,” Emily Cook said.

Hawk Life hopes the challenge will not only reduce screen dependency but also improve focus, sleep quality, and overall mental health. QU students are a month away from finals and that means that the timing also provides an opportunity for students to develop more productive study routines.

The April Wellness Challenge highlights a growing awareness of the impact of technology on student life and offers a simple but meaningful way for Hawks to unplug, recharge, and reconnect with what matters most.