Digital Rest
Each February, Liberty University invites our students to take part in a Digital Rest. For twenty-eight days, we intentionally set aside our smartphones with their many distractions in order that we may wholeheartedly pursue Christ and grow in godliness.
The goal of the Digital Rest is not for every student to totally give up their smartphone, which is not a realistic or helpful option. There is simply too much of contemporary life that requires use of a smartphone, and much of it is good and right. Rather, during the Digital Rest, we choose to strip our phones of the features that draw us into endless and bottomless spirals of distraction.
Put simply, the goal is to make the smartphone dumb for a month by deleting social media, games, and other distracting apps. In other words, keep the clock app. Delete TikTok.
The ultimate aim of the Digital Rest is to take seriously the call of Christ to know God and to pursue Him as the highest desire of the human heart. To the extent that a smartphone detracts from that pursuit, it is indeed an idol—but it can be toppled.
Prepare for the Digital Rest
Every member of the Liberty community is invited to take part in the Digital Rest together. For the month of February, make your phone dumb in some or all of these ways:
- Logging out of all social medias (Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, Snapchat) on your phone and computer.
- Identifying and deleting every app on your phone that is not absolutely essential.
- Downloading a time-tracking app that tracks time spent away from your phone. The goal is to create physical distance from your phone for long periods of time.
- Turning your phone to grayscale.
Each weekday in February, read one page of the Digital Rest Guide, then take a moment to respond in prayer and reflection.
Brick Your Phone
Liberty has partnered with the digital wellness company Brick to install one Brick device on each residence hall. The Brick is a physical key that allows students to block distracting apps and notifications with just one tap, turning the phone into a distraction-free device until the Brick is tapped again. Download the Brick app today to block distracting apps, create custom modes, plan focus schedules, and more.