Digital Wellness for Gen Z

Top Takeaways from our Digital4Good 2021 Digital Wellness Panel with Google, TikTok, VSCO, and more

Digital wellness is trending—and for good reason! We spend 60% or more of our waking hours online and using technology, so digital wellness is now essential to our daily lives. When we don’t invest in our well-being, it can lead to stress, depression, anxiety, and burnout.

At the 2021 Digital4Good Summit, we hosted a Digital Wellness Panel with industry leaders from Google, TikTok, VSCO, Riot Games, and Intel to get their advice and insight into digital wellness. The panel discussed the current state of digital wellness and how to form better relationships with technology to support our physical and mental health. Sophie Beren, CEO of the Gen Z platform The Conversationalist, moderated our panel. Here are our top three takeaways from the session.

Mindfulness is Key
One of the themes that kept popping up in the discussion was mindfulness. Technology is a tool that isn’t “good” or “bad”—its effect on us depends on how and why we use it. Several of our panelists, including Sara Lee from VSCO and Matt Soeth from TikTok, encouraged being very intentional when using digital tech. Instead of mindlessly scrolling, are you engaging with apps and online platforms for a specific purpose? (And remember, having fun is a wonderful purpose—it’s not all about “productivity”). As Sara said, “Foster your interests, find community, and express yourself.”

Authentic Connection is Different for Everyone
We all need boundaries and breaks when it comes to tech, but the “right balance” looks different for everyone. You have to decide what makes you feel good and evaluate whether your current technology habits are supporting your well-being or if your online activity is triggering stress and anxiety. A good tip from Alicia Blum-Ross at Google is to ask yourself if you felt good about the time you spent online, not just how much time you spent online.

Digital Wellness Education Needs to Start Early
Digital technology has taken center stage in all of our lives during the pandemic, including students’ lives. Societies around the world are starting to figure out the rules and boundaries of digital engagement for work and school, but to make a long-lasting impact, socializing the idea of digital boundaries needs to happen earlier. Teaching students to protect their “disconnected time” is an important step in helping them find a healthy balance between work and personal time now and later in life.

All of the panelists shared so many incredible insights during the conversation—check out the full YouTube recording here! If you’re looking for a way to engage your students around this topic, have them watch the panel and respond to these tech leaders’ ideas. What did they find useful or interesting? What did they disagree with? How will these ideas help them form better relationships with digital technology? The more conversations we have about digital wellness and mental health, the more innovative solutions we’ll create to support our well-being and form safe, vibrant digital communities.

Watch the Digital Wellness Panel