Like many Gen Zers, 20-year-old Kylie Harris got her first smartphone in middle school, she says, and started using social media soon after.
“Young Kylie was obsessed with Musical.ly and Instagram,” she says. YouTube was among them. When Musical.ly became TikTok in 2018, that scrolling habit continued into high school.
After graduating, Harris and her boyfriend moved from their home state of Mississippi to Tennessee, where she now works as a personal care assistant and a shoemaker specializing in making shoes for an affordable shoe brand.
Around the holidays in 2025, Harris realized she needed to make some changes to her online habits.
“I woke up around 12:30 in the afternoon,” she says. “Then I looked at the clock and it was around 4 p.m. and I hadn’t gotten out of bed yet. All I did that day was scroll through social media.”
So when, in January 2026, she spotted an Instagram ad for “The Reset,” the first screen-free day on January 24, sponsored by outdoor activity organization Outward Bound, she got nervous.
Limiting screen time and social media use “actually gives you an opportunity to engage with the world a little better,” clinical psychologist Raquel Martin previously told CNBC Make It.
Harris committed to taking 10 hours off work, and the results were life-changing, she added.
“I just had time to relax.”
Harris was at work on the day of the reset, so he was unable to completely turn off the power. In fact, she says she started her day like any other, waking up to an alarm on her phone and scrolling through social media for about 15 minutes.
But when she left for work at 7 a.m. and had a few hours to kill, she decided to put her phone away. She eliminated some tasks that had to be done later, such as preparing meals and reading the book “Catching Fire.”
She also “did a Bible study,” “which was really good,” she says.
She says she’s been able to get more work done during the day. That night, she made “delicious garlic parm chicken pasta” for her boyfriend. Instead of spending dinner on YouTube or in front of the TV, she says they had a fun day together.
Ultimately, she says, spending time away from social media and her smartphone has been a “breath of fresh air.” “I just needed some time to relax.”
“Screen time went from about 8 to 10 hours a day to about 2 hours a day.”
According to Outward Bound, more than 50,000 people across the country participated in Reset, 66% of whom were Gen Z.
“The response has been incredibly exciting,” says Outward Bound USA CEO Ginger Naylor. “We heard from students, parents, educators, and community leaders that they didn’t realize how much they needed a break until they took it.”
Another participant, Jean-Antoine, 20, a student at Loyola Marymount University, turned off his cell phone 24 hours a day.
“I was very set in my mind,” he says of that day’s experience. “And they were very slow. I was very calm.” He plans to introduce monthly no-phone days.
As for Harris, she says The Reset changed her approach forever.
“Screen time has gone from about eight to 10 hours a day to about two hours a day,” she says. She has taken steps such as implementing an app called Brainrot to help manage her social media time and purchasing an analog alarm clock. She now spends a lot of time cooking, reading the Bible, and walking her dog.
This day taught her that sometimes it’s important to take a step back and “be present where you are, not where you aren’t.”
Want to lead with confidence and bring out the best in your team? Take CNBC’s new online course, How to Become an Exceptional Leader. Expert instructors share practical strategies to help you build trust, communicate clearly, and motivate others to do their best work. Sign up now!
