Digital Detox Intention Among Indonesian Generation Z: The Role of Eudaimonic Values, Subjective Norms, Perceived Information Overload, and Self-Efficacy

Sabrina Oktaria Sihombing () and Juliana Juliana
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Sabrina Oktaria Sihombing: Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Pelita Harapan, Tangerang 15811, Indonesia
Juliana Juliana: Department of Hospitality Management, Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism, Universitas Pelita Harapan, Tangerang 15811, Indonesia

Societies, 2026, vol. 16, issue 2, 1-17

Abstract: Digital detox has emerged as a response to the growing intensity of social media use among young adults. This study examines digital detox intention among Indonesian Generation Z by situating disengagement from social media within social and informational contexts. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Value–Attitude–Behavior perspective, the study investigates how eudaimonic values, perceived information overload, and subjective norms are associated with intentions to reduce social media use, with self-efficacy conceptualized as a mediating expression of individual agency. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted among Indonesian university students who actively use multiple social media platforms. Data were collected through an online questionnaire and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. The results show that self-efficacy constitutes the main pathway through which subjective norms influence digital detox intention. Eudaimonic values and perceived information overload are also positively related to digital detox intention, indicating that both value-driven motives and cognitive strain contribute to disengagement. These findings suggest that digital detox reflects a socially embedded practice shaped by the interaction of social expectations and individual agency. The study contributes to discussions on digital practices and generational change by highlighting the social dimensions of intentional disengagement.

Keywords: digital detox; social norms; individual agency; self-efficacy; information overload; Generation Z; digital practices (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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