{"id":75539,"date":"2025-07-19T14:09:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-19T14:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/75539\/"},"modified":"2025-07-19T14:09:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T14:09:11","slug":"why-everyone-should-use-the-dnd-feature-more-often","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/75539\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Everyone Should Use The ‘DND’ Feature More Often"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a preteen, I couldn\u2019t resist the siren song of AIM<\/a>, or AOL Instant Messenger. I\u2019d hear that \u201cdoor opening\u201d noise or a message notification <\/a>and rush to my computer, eager to see if the sign-on was my best friend or my boyfriend, both who were equally tethered to AIM at the time. (Naturally, all of our screen names usually contained the name of the person we were \u201cdating\u201d at the time \u2015 NicksGirl4Eva88 was the height of romance in middle school in 2001.)<\/p>\n

When I got my own phone not long after, I downloaded my favorite songs to use as ringtones, just like every other teenager I knew. I was as eager as ever to receive texts. (Phone calls? Those not so much. It\u2019s true that millennials<\/a> are phone call averse<\/a>.) <\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Iuliia Bondar\/Jasmin Merdan\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

A number of Gen Zers (and some millennials) just leave their phones on \u201cDo Not Disturb\u201d all day and seize their daily routine without all those incessant alerts.<\/p>\n

Now that I\u2019m in my 30s with a full time job, the thrill is categorically gone. If anything, I\u2019m loath to look at my phone: Group texts reach obscene numbers<\/a> in a matter of minutes, Slack notifications from work<\/a> stack up and ruin my flow state, and there always seems to be one or two texts from a friend that I\u2019ve been meaning to get to<\/a>, but still haven\u2019t yet. Color me surprised, then, to learn that a number of Gen Zers<\/a> (and some millennials \u2015 ones who are smarter than me) just leave their phones on \u201cDo Not Disturb\u201d all day. Going on vibrate<\/a> isn\u2019t enough anymore, it\u2019s DND 24\/7.<\/p>\n

\n

TIL that some Gen Z kids keep their cell phones on Do Not Disturb 24\/7, so they never have to face the anxiety of answering the phone.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Max Burns (@themaxburns) February 12, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

On TikTok, videos tagged \u201cDND\u201d<\/a> and \u201cDND 24\/7\u201d<\/a> show teens and 20-somethings sharing how peaceful<\/a> and productive<\/a> they\u2019ve felt since changing their notification settings. <\/p>\n

To render your phone basically useless for the entire day is about as close to zen as I can imagine, but it also sounds weirdly frightening. But the way Gen Z sees it, it\u2019s their phone, their time and their prerogative if they need to set boundaries. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m trying to study for an upcoming exam, a new Snapchat notification or Instagram message can often send me into a downward spiral of scrolling through my social media accounts for several minutes,\u201d said Madeline Kerestman<\/a>, a 21-year-old pre-med student and social media influencer who goes on DND for chunks of the day.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re busy working, a random alert hinders your progress more than you realize. A 2005 study<\/a> out of the University of California at Irvine found that, on average, it takes around 23 minutes for most workers to get back on task after an interruption.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just her study flow state that Kerestman is trying to protect when she goes incommunicado, though. Like many on TikTok, Kerestman said using the feature is about \u201cprotecting her peace.\u201d More and more, she\u2019s trying to live in the moment rather than living for the dopamine rush of a new \u201clike\u201d<\/a> or comment. <\/p>\n

\u201cI constantly receive notifications from both TikTok and Instagram that notify me of new likes, comments, and followers,\u201d she said. \u201cWhile I love this aspect of having a platform and being connected to others, it can really be stressful and distracting sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just a bonus that going on DND means dodging all the spam calls and texts <\/a>the rest of us are getting hit by lately.<\/p>\n

\"On<\/p>\n

@madzzz1212\/@lamontlaflare\/@meghancurrrie<\/p>\n

On TikTok, Gen Z’ers vouch for how much more peaceful their lives are now that they’ve enabled the DND setting on their phone.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s pretty simple to go on DND. For Android users,<\/a> swipe down from the Home screen to access the Notification Center, then swipe once more to expand the whole panel. Tap Do Not Disturb to toggle it on.<\/p>\n

If you have an iPhone, go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb. Once there, you can set times where you want your phone to go on DND and specify a list of people who will be allowed to get through while all others are silenced.<\/p>\n

\"OnOn an iPhone to the Focus settings to enable Do Not Disturb.<\/p>\n

Gen Z clearly has a love-hate relationship with their phones.<\/strong><\/p>\n

DND 24\/7 is just more proof that Gen Z feels inundated by tech and wants to be more digitally minimalist in how they do things. In the last few years, some teens have gotten rid of their smartphones in favor of flip phones. On TiKTok, Gen Zers document what it\u2019s like to have a flip phone<\/a> or share instructions on how to make an iPhone an app-lite \u201cdumb phone.\u201d <\/a><\/p>\n

In 2022, The New York Times profiled the \u201cLuddite Group<\/a>,\u201d a bunch of New York City teens who read in Prospect Park with a strict \u201cno phone\u201d rule.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I got my flip phone, things instantly changed,\u201d one of the teens told the Times. \u201cI started using my brain. It made me observe myself as a person. I\u2019ve been trying to write a book, too. It\u2019s like 12 pages now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chinedu Kenechukwu<\/a>, a 24-year-old from Lagos, Nigeria, experiences phone wariness (and weariness) as well. <\/p>\n

\u201cI went on DND all day on most days last year,\u201d she told HuffPost. \u201cI tend to be anxious sometimes, and incoming calls on my phone tend to increase that anxiety so I\u2019d go on DND usually just to protect my peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

These days, Kenechukwu doesn\u2019t have the function on, but she wouldn\u2019t hesitate to turn it back on during times of heightened stress. That\u2019s what it\u2019s there for. <\/p>\n

Lauren Larkin<\/a>, a psychotherapist and founder of Lel Therapy<\/a>, sees DND 24\/7 as Gen Z\u2019s attempt to course-correct and renegotiate being Very Online and overly available. Instagram, BeReal and TikTok don\u2019t always need your attention. <\/p>\n

\u201cI could see Gen Z using DND as a tool to set boundaries,\u201d she said. \u201cIt helps create a sense of control over relationships that aren\u2019t serving them, either by being less accessible or having less access themselves to what others are doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

For those with attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder, the DND function and carving out one designated time a day to respond can be a real game-changer. Those with ADHD<\/a> often struggle to respond to texts (along with phone calls and emails) due to symptoms like forgetfulness<\/a>, being overwhelmed<\/a> or distractibility<\/a>. DND gives them the chance to respond only when they\u2019re ready. <\/p>\n

\"\u201cI\u201cI could see Gen Z using DND as a tool to set boundaries,\u201d said psychotherapist Lauren Larkin.<\/p>\n

One caveat we should mention: Setting your phone to DND when you\u2019re bothered by your notifications or you\u2019re setting boundaries is one thing, but there could be times where DND could be a sign of some deeper anxiety. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf getting calls or texts makes you have racing thoughts that are difficult to control, a faster heart rate, sweating, shaking, trouble sleeping, nausea, those could be signs of an anxiety disorder<\/a>,\u201d Larkin said. <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re isolating, sleeping all the time (or hardly at all), aren\u2019t enjoying what you used to enjoy, and are feeling generally hopeless and that\u2019s why you\u2019re shutting your phone onto DND, that could be a sign of a depressive disorder<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all about the why behind the choice,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s good to be curious about that so you can understand if it\u2019s a coping mechanism for something bigger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Older generations may struggle to go on DND 24\/7.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re used to \u201calways-on\u201d urgency culture,<\/a> DND 24\/7 can be hard to process. The DND users we spoke to said they\u2019ve received some blowback from frustrated friends and family who\u2019ve been unable to reach them. Some people find the trend a little obnoxious; online, people joke about how satisfying it is to \u201chit \u2018notify anyway\u2019 to a DND Warrior.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Older generations may wonder \u201cwhy even have a phone then?\u201d or freak out about what would happen in case of an emergency. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom will always say, \u2018You are on your phone constantly! Why can you not answer a text in five minutes or pick up a call right away?\u2019 Kerestman said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think generations assume that Gen Z and millennials are glued to their phones,\u201d she said. \u201cWhile this may be true to a degree, I don\u2019t think it means we should be expected to respond within two seconds or constantly be checking our social media accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emily Cooper<\/a>, a therapist in Seattle, Washington, is a zillennial, the \u201cmicro-generation\u201d of people born between 1993 and 1998. (They\u2019re too old to be considered Gen Zers and too young to be millennials.)<\/p>\n

Personally, she loves the DND feature. She always just assumes if someone really needs to get in touch with her, they\u2019ll call her back or she\u2019ll get to them when she gets to them. Her mom, a young Boomer, has a much different relationship with her phone. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom will answer the phone just to say she can\u2019t talk,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018Then just don\u2019t answer your phone then!\u2019 She has gotten better at it, but will still text me one of the canned responses of \u2018Can I call you back?\u2019\u201d Cooper said with a laugh. <\/p>\n

\"Older<\/p>\n

yongyuan via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Older generations may wonder \u201cwhy do you even have a phone then?\u201d or freak out about you not being available in the case of an emergency.<\/p>\n

The therapist wonders if part of the generational difference can be chalked up to the fact that phone calls and catching someone on the phone was more of a rarity back in the day. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor that generation, it was almost like a delicacy,\u201d she said. \u201cYou had to be home at the right time, able to afford long distance, whereas for me, it\u2019s always been available so I don\u2019t really value it as much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d rather answer quick questions or check-ins with a text at my convenience, and if it\u2019s something more serious, I\u2019d rather do it in person than a phone call,\u201d she said. \u201cI also simply don\u2019t have that many people who call me anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Preferences may vary along generation divides, but Cooper thinks everyone could benefit from putting a premium on phone-less time: Studies have shown <\/a>that notifications from phones actually release cortisol \u2015 the bodies\u2019 stress hormone \u2015 and leave our brains on \u201chigh alert.\u201d Our nervous systems truly need time to recover from those pings and vibrations we receive all day. <\/p>\n

\u201cPlus, I don\u2019t think anyone should have access to us 24\/7, and expecting that is a little … unrealistic,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cPeople have lives: kids, school, work, family, friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cooper thinks the only people who need around-the-clock access are parents and kids, but even then you can set up DND settings so those calls will go through.<\/p>\n

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Thank you again for your support along the way. We\u2019re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think that\u2019s a good middle ground,\u201d she said. \u201cOverall, in my experience, it\u2019s been really nice to feel in control and be able to \u2018opt into\u2019 to social media and text conversations instead of feeling like they are all being thrust upon me.\u201d<\/p>\n