Smartphone Nation: Why We're All Addicted to Screens and What You Can Do About It

(Paperback)

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Smartphones, social media and AI are here to stay. Leading expert Professor Kaitlyn Regehr, The Digital Nutritionist, gives us the tools to consume them safely, keeping the advantages and joy of the digital world, but teaching us how to and spot risks and dangers and step away when we're over-reliant. She believes that our constant, unconscious scrolling is as dangerous as smoking and here she offers a clear process for embedding 'digital nutrition' - healthy interaction with our phones and devices - in our daily lives. After all, it is clear we are living in the age of the smartphone. We all rely on our devices, checking them multiple times an hour, but, increasingly, we worry about the impact of our - and our kids' - phone use. UCL professor Dr. Kaitlyn Regehr is a leading expert on the effect of digital technology on our brains and in Smartphone Nation she sets out how the content we consume is created, why it's so addictive, and gives us the tools and understanding to protect ourselves, and our families, from harm. Removing smartphones from our lives is unrealistic and counter-productive: instead, we need to learn how we can use them healthily and safely. Smartphone Nation will explain exactly how algorithms work, why you're being shown the particular content you are, and how AI has the potential to change the way you think, whilst equipping you with the tools you need to take control of this often overwhelming online world. Smartphone Nation is a game-changing practical book that empowers us to enjoy the benefits of technology while understanding how it works, how to teach our kids, and for each and every one of us to be in control of how we use it.

Author Bio

Dr Kaitlyn Regehr is one of the leading experts on the cultural impacts of social media on children and youth. She's an Associate Professor UCL (University College London), lecturing on digital literacy, a prominent voice in the media, a key influence in policy circles, and a mum of two. In February 2024, her research findings sparked 300 media articles including the front page of the Guardian, and BBC Radio 4 'Woman's Hour'. This fuelled a mass of high-profile parent movements including Smartphone Free Childhood. Kaitlyn is a regular talking head on this subject on BBC News, ITV, BBC Women's Hour, Channel 4 and the Economist. She is in development talks with the BBC on a three-part series on children and social media for the BBC which would air towards the end of 2024. She has provided consultation in the House of Lords, to Members of Parliament, the Metropolitan Police, the Scottish Government, Prevent and has recently been approached to consult with TikTok on creative ways to partner on disseminating her recommendations. Her previous research fed into the Online Safety Act and the new Cyberflashing legislation. The Labour Party have pledged to implement her most recent report's recommendations across the national curriculum.