10 Reasons Why the Women in Your Church Need a Social Media Break

Everywhere I go, I meet girls and women who are hurting, overwhelmed, anxious, lonely, and feeling disconnected from God and others. You’ve likely seen it in your church and community too. As the founder and CEO of Wonderfully Made, I’m passionate about helping women and girls know their God-given worth, embrace vibrant mental health, and live flourishing, purpose-filled lives. 

But today, social media is one of the greatest threats to their well-being. It’s robbing them of peace, joy, and genuine connection. 

I know this firsthand. After joining social media, I became addicted. It slowly chipped away at my mental, emotional, and spiritual health until I stepped away. Taking a long break brought me healing, freedom, and a renewed sense of purpose. That journey inspired my book Social Media Reset: A 30-Day Guided Journey to Unplug, Reconnect with God, and Reclaim Your Joy. 

Research indicates that even a brief break, such as one from social media, for as little as three days, can reduce stress and anxiety and increase happiness. A reset is powerful when done alone, but it is even more so when done in community with others. This provides a transformative experience that cultivates community and guides women into the life God intended for them to live, both offline and online.  

When any girl or woman completes this 30-day challenge, it transforms their lives. They become more peaceful, joyful, and connected to God and to who He has made them to be. When they walk through it with others, the impact multiplies. Together, we can guide girls and women back to the abundant life Jesus offers—one grounded in truth, presence, and lasting joy. 

We don’t need to reject technology altogether, but we do need a reset. A pause. A revival. Imagine if, for just 30 days, the women in your church were to unplug from social media together? This is the vision behind a 30-day church-wide social media fast—a joyful, collective return to the rhythms of real life and the presence of God.  

I think you’ll find that life can be even more beautiful when we aren’t tethered to our devices. My book Social Media Reset walks women through a social media break that allows them to reset their souls and show up for their lives with a new level of excitement, joy, and intentionality and is great for moms to do with their daughters as well. My teaching course, produced in collaboration with RightNow Media, further guides women in churches through this reset, deepening their experience.  

Here are 10 reasons why a social media reset would be beneficial for the women you serve.

1. Cultivating True Friendship and Community

We are facing an epidemic of loneliness, marked by widespread feelings of disconnectedness and social isolation. Over half, or 52 percent, of Americans report feeling lonely. While social media enables us to connect with almost anyone in the world, it has come at the cost of genuine connection, which can only be found through face-to-face interactions and real-life relationships. Because of social media, we are hyperconnected yet often feel isolated and lonely. The girls and women in your church yearn for meaningful friendships. By unplugging and resetting alongside other women in your church, they can experience true transformation. This will create an opportunity for them to build deep friendships and engage in face-to-face, heart-to-heart conversations. It will open the door for laughter over coffee, shared tears, and unhurried conversations that foster true friendship. Community isn’t about likes—it’s about living life together, authentically. 

2. Promoting Hospitality

In our digital world, it’s easy to like someone’s post and feel we’ve connected—but real hospitality invites someone into our lives and homes. With their phones put away, women can open their homes, share meals, and create sacred spaces for one another. Hospitality becomes an act of worship and a way to mirror Christ’s welcoming heart. This break is a gentle nudge to shift from virtual connection to intentional presence and true friendship. 

3. Healing Our Mental Health

As a direct result of social media, we are facing an unprecedented, preventable, technologically induced mental health crisis. Our teen girls are particularly affected; they are at the epicenter, as the suicide rate among girls has skyrocketed by 167 percent since the rise of social media. Today, one in three girls seriously contemplates attempting suicide. Adult women are also tremendously impacted. Endless scrolling can leave our minds anxious, our hearts comparing, and our souls restless. As you guide the women in your church through a social media reset, they will begin to experience more vibrant mental health and step into the full, abundant lives they were meant to have.  

4. Reconnecting Us with God

The average person checks their phone more than 300 times a day, or every two to three minutes. The nonstop notifications in our digital world leave us disconnected from God, making it almost impossible to practice the spiritual disciplines that Jesus modeled for us, such as solitude and silence. When we unplug and reconnect with God, our spirits find rest and we rediscover joy. As you invite the women of your church to take a social media break, they will collectively reset, grow spiritually, and deepen their walk with God. This break serves as a sacred invitation to replace scrolling with Scripture, distraction with devotion, and comparison with uplifting community. 

5. Repairing Our Brain’s Pathways

Social media companies hire behavioral scientists to intentionally design their platforms to be addictive. They prey upon our God-given desire to be liked, seen, and known, triggering the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that can lead to distraction. This results in a lack of focus, increased anxiety, and the hijacking of neural pathways in our brain. God calls us not to conform to the patterns of this world. By refusing to conform to the social media circus, we allow our brains to heal. Science confirms what many of us feel: Social media alters our brains. The dopamine-driven cycle of likes and clicks can rewire our thoughts and habits. But there’s hope—our minds can be renewed, as Scripture affirms. A 30-day break allows the brain to reset, regain focus, and break unhealthy patterns. It’s a physical and spiritual detox that brings clarity and calm. 

6. Allowing Us to Better Practice the Spiritual Disciplines

The average adult spends around 2 hours and 20 minutes on social media each day. Imagine if this time were replaced with practicing spiritual disciplines such as prayer, meditation, Scripture reading, solitude, and worship. Through these disciplines, women can deepen their walk with Christ and discover the quiet strength that comes from being rooted in Him.  

7. Restoring Our Souls

S. Lewis said, “The soul is but a hollow which God fills.” When we return to God, He promises to revive our souls—as Psalm 23:2 says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” The digital world we live in has harmed our souls, and they require urgent and tender care. A social media reset is like Psalm 23 come to life. When we reconnect with God, we will find rest, renewal, and joy in simply being rather than constantly consuming. It’s an invitation to return to wholeness.

8. Empowering Us to Enjoy an Embodied Life

God created us not just as souls, but as whole beings—body, mind, and spirit. When we unplug from screens, we become more aware of God, His creation, and the beautiful gifts He gives us. A social media break helps women step back into the present moment and experience the beauty of being fully alive—here and now. It offers us a chance to rediscover the sacredness of ordinary moments and to embrace life not as spectators, but as participants. Living an embodied life is about being present—in our bodies, in our relationships, in our worship—and finding deep joy in it all. 

9. Freeing Us to Invest in the Gifts God Has Given Us

God has uniquely gifted every woman, whether in teaching, serving, creating, encouraging, or leading. But in the constant swirl of scrolling, it’s easy to forget or neglect those gifts. A social media reset gives women space to rediscover what God has planted in them. With fewer distractions, women can cultivate their gifts and creativity. This time away from digital noise is not just about disconnecting—it’s about reconnecting with their God-given purpose. When women invest in their gifts, they don’t just feel more fulfilled—they begin to bless their families, church, and community in powerful ways. 

10. Helping Us Leave a Beautiful Legacy and Live Out God’s Purpose

I predict that one of the greatest regrets many of us will have at the end of our lives is how much time we wasted on our phones. When we take our final breaths, we will have to provide an account to God of how we spent our lives. Stepping away from social media gives women the space to reflect on the bigger story God is writing through their lives. It’s a chance to realign with His purpose and ask, “Am I living to win the approval of others or the glory of God?” During this reset, women can begin to live more intentionally, rooted in His truth, led by His Spirit, and focused on eternal matters.  

By inviting the women in your church to share a social media reset together, you will provide them with an opportunity to cultivate deep friendships, build community, enhance their mental health, invest in their spiritual gifts, draw closer to God, and live more intentional lives for the glory of God. And your church or community will never be the same.  

This reset can genuinely be a revival in the hearts and spirits of the women you serve. Embark on this journey by getting my book Social Media Reset and by experiencing my five-week teaching series that guides women’s communities through a reset together, available on RightNow Media or my website, alliemariesmith.com. I hope you will embrace this invitation. I know that the girls and women in your community will truly benefit and reclaim their joy, living out the lives they were created to live. 

Remember, Jesus always offers us a better, though often unpopular, way of life. We must turn our hearts away from worthless things. When we don’t conform to the soul-crushing patterns of this world, we find rest. We find joy. As we return to the grace-filled rhythms and spiritual practices Jesus modeled for us, we will experience peace and the fullness of joy. God created you, your church, and the women you serve for a life of abundance.