Led by Hokie Wellness Assistant Director Laurie Fritsch, the Digital Wellbeing program uses data-backed events and challenges to encourage students to unplug from their mobile devices at key times of the day.
“That’s digital well-being. Mobile phones are an important tool in our lives, so I’m thinking about ways to live with them in a way that’s really useful for me. I’m also thinking about how my phone can actually change college life. We’re thinking about how to limit if it’s preventing us from experiencing it in the best way,” Fritsch said.
According to Virginia Tech News, Fritsch worked with the Digital Wellness Institute to develop this programming and implement it to students. Virginia Tech was honored as the first Digital Well University in April 2023 based on the program’s reputation and thoroughness.
The programming consists of three different components for digital wellness.
The first component was created in collaboration with Christina Crook, author of The Joy of Missing Out: Finding Balance in the Wired World, to create the JOMO Campus Campaign. The campaign consists of conversation cards, phone bins, and weekly challenge prompts placed in residence halls and common areas around campus. This campaign challenges students to confront their dependence on mobile devices and explore the moment.
The second component of the program is a four-week wellness challenge, which was first piloted at Hoge Hall in spring 2023. This challenge requires pre-completion and post-completion surveys to measure the amount of change for participants. This study analyzes digital wellness across his eight distinct areas: mental health, physical health, productivity, communication, environment, digital citizenship, and technology-enabled health and relationships. Participants will engage in short learning activities paired with weekly challenges that streamline phone use for maximum productivity and mental clarity.
The third component is a challenge series that prioritizes a different health area each week. One of these challenges for him includes putting his cell phone on “do not disturb” mode throughout his day and reflecting on how he feels afterwards. Participants can submit a written statement about their experience to Her Hokie Wellness and receive a free Her T-shirt. All assignments created for the weekly series were created by students.
“Through our reflections, we found that people were addressing challenges, sharing them with others, and understanding the benefits of making changes,” Fritsch said.
Fritsch said the results of this campaign speak to its popularity and the need for programs like this to exist.
– 76% of students told others about the JOMO phone booth.
– 56% of students reported making changes as a result of taking the 4-week health challenge.
– 61% reported that they were likely or likely to continue the behavioral changes from the 4-week program.
“We really need to change our campus culture, but we need to do it together,” Fritsch said. “When people change their environment, when they are set up for success, when they are reminded to make that change. When it is easy, people are more likely to do it.”
Hokie Wellness and Digital Wellbeing programming are looking to recruit and engage student ambassadors for future academic years. For more information, please contact Laurie Fritsch at lfritsch@vt.edu.
