How to escape the smartphone doom loop | Larissa May, Elise Hu

Digital wellness requires shifting from passive consumption to intentional, creative engagement with technology to combat the "doom loop" of constant scrolling. Larissa May, a digital wellness innovator and founder of #HalfTheStory, argues that simple abstinence or phone bans in schools fail to address the underlying emotional needs of young people. Instead, she advocates for training youth to use technology as a tool for creativity and imagination, effectively "hacking" devices to serve human well-being. Her work with the AI platform Ginkgo provides a clinician-backed framework for parents to monitor digital health signals, bridging the gap between children’s inner lives and their screen habits. Ultimately, fostering digital resilience involves modeling healthy behaviors, prioritizing analog experiences, and empowering the next generation to reclaim agency over their mental health in an increasingly digitized world.