My phone is my girlfriend, analyst, flower shop, bank, bully. Is it time for a digital detox?
Morning Live hosted a “digital detox expert” who repeated a doubtful piece of research that suggested simply having your smartphone on the desk in front of you lowers your IQ, a claim swiftly debunked on Twitter by Dr Matthew Sweet. Elsewhere, studies into the horrors of tech use rarely distinguish between the techs they monitor, when of course each kind is vastly different; how should we compare the experience of talking in a group chat on WhatsApp to using a period tracker, or learning Polish on Duolingo to putting a cute little baby effect on an Instagram selfie?Many of the studies say spending too long on your phone might lead to depression, anxiety and sleeplessness. But it is almost impossible to say for sure which way that river flows.