Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is so five minutes ago. Today, the cool kids are all excited about JOMO.

Recently popularised by - of all people - the CEO of Google, JOMO is shorthand for the Joy of Missing Out.

JOMO is all about taking time offline as part of everyday screen hygiene. It’s about acknowledging, in the words of Google’s newest digital wellbeing manifesto, that “Great technology should improve life, not distract from it.”

Google CEO Sundar Pichai. As experts increasingly emphasise the importance of digital wellbeing, even the titans of Silicon Valley are jumping onboard to encourage healthier tech habits.

JOMO is all about taking time offline as part of everyday screen hygiene. It’s about acknowledging, in the words of Google’s newest digital wellbeing manifesto, that “Great technology should improve life, not distract from it.”

JOMO “is a lot like that age-old wisdom about being present - only retrofitted for a world in which missing an email could be a fire-able offense,” observes New York Times columnist Hayley Phelan.

Take the quiz!

If you suspect you could use a dose of JOMO, Phelan suggests you take a one-question quiz:

Do you have a smartphone?

If you do - you do. Simple as that.

Beware infobesity

“Don’t think of JOMO as a detox, but more like an integral part to a healthy, well balanced nutrition plan for your brain,” advises Phelan.

“You may not always want to do it, it may not always feel natural or fun, but like that kale smoothie you choke down … you do it because it’s good for you.”

It’s an apt metaphor, because experts increasing recommend that we monitor our digital diets in much the same way that we do our food diets. And “Infobesity” isn’t healthy for anyone, at any age.

Lower expectations

Phelan offers an interesting tip to help you begin your JOMO practice: Manage people’s expectations of you (and set them low).

“Begin to cultivate the expectation that you may take a while to respond to text messages and emails. If you feel undue pressure from family and friends, you can let them know ahead of time that you may not always be available.”

Dare to delay - and experience the joy of missing out. Who knows? You may even find it’s downright addictive.

Need help turning FOMO into JOMO? Family Zone can help. Our powerful solutions support families and schools to set effective screen-time boundaries, restrict social media, block adult content, and more.