Parents and teens alike are trading in their smartphones for "dumber" models to help stay offline.

Adults and teens concerned about their screen time are turning in their smartphones for “dumber” models.

Buried in the settings of many smartphones is the option to look up how much on average you are staring at your phone per day.

It can bring an uncomfortable realisation, that what was supposed to be a useful piece of technology has become an obsession.

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According to a study by Harvard University, using social networking sites lights up the same part of the brain that is also triggered when taking an addictive substance. This has raised concerns about phone habits among youth.

In the UK, research by Ofcom estimates that around a quarter of children aged five to seven years old now have their own smartphone.

Links have been shown in some studies between use of social media and a negative effect on mental health - especially in children.

  • @jjjalljs
    3•18 days ago

    Thanks. I’ve heard of locus of control before (as opposed to locust of control, which sounds rather metal).

    My mother was always late for work. She’d say it was because of the traffic lights, or the coffee took too long to make, or whatever. I’d be like “just start getting ready for work 15 minutes earlier” and she’d act like I was a crazy asshole. She has a very external locus of control. Things happen to her for no reason, and nothing she’s done has any connection. Drives me crazy.

    I do struggle with empathy but I’m working on it.