The program comes amid broader policy shifts, as a total ban on mobile phones in elementary school will be introduced in the fall term of 2026. At the International English School in Borås, a mobile phone ban is already a reality. Some students have gone a step further by detoxing their social media, meaning cleaning them from content that spreads unhealthy ideals.
Students have been encouraged to block material about, for example, weight and body ideals, and actively seek content that should promote mental well-being, such as clips about nature and animals. The detox is done using the song 'Algorithm cleansing song' by the artist Dotter, launched in the campaign. When the song is played on a smartphone with voice control activated, the phone is controlled on Instagram or TikTok by the specially written text.
I don't think it's completely new, but it's becoming more and more alarming. There are incredibly negative consequences that result from this. We talk about depression, anxiety and eating disorders and therefore we adults bear a great responsibility to inform.
The feeds are filtered from unhealthy content and instead filled with more positive elements, such as animals and nature, diversity and creativity. The campaign 'Detoxify' is backed by Länsförsäkringar, which developed the teaching material together with Swedish teacher Malin Riise. The lesson material concludes with the students writing an essay about their experiences.
Research speaks clearly that this is becoming increasingly unsustainable. It applies not only to young people, it also applies to adults. The school can naturally assist with quite a lot when we teach and talk to the young people about how they can go about also getting a healthier approach to social media.