Twenty years ago, the smartphone technology we now take for granted would have blown our minds. Managing to squeeze games, films, satnav, banking, news, instant messaging and countless other tools into a palm-sized gizmo has been a stunning example of human ingenuity, but questions have been raised over whether those devices have become too entrancing, and whether the convenient gateway they provide to the internet has also become a gateway to poor mental health.
Last week, two major Apple shareholders voiced their concerns to the company in an open letter published at thinkdifferentlyaboutkids.com, questioning the impact of Apple devices on children’s well-being. By citing studies connecting excessive smartphone use with poor attention span, sleep deprivation, loss of empathy and increased risk of depression, it posed the question of whether, in the push to make smartphones indispensable, companies have failed to consider the consequences.
Fear surrounding the impact of technology on society is hardly new. The 1960s and 1970s saw pressure groups such as Clean-Up TV in the UK and Action for Children’s Television in the USA express deep concern about the ubiquity of television, and as psychologists discovered links between children’s behaviour patterns and things they saw on screen, many parents began to see it as a pernicious influence on family life.
In more recent times there have been similar concerns about the internet – even before the first smartphones were launched. Those who warned of potential disorders, however, would frequently offer expensive rehabilitation schemes in the same breath, and were often dismissed as either cranks or opportunists.
However, in recent years those voices have got louder, and the warnings more severe. Last summer, Mandy Saligari, a London rehab clinic specialist, likened giving your child a smartphone to giving them a gram of cocaine. “Why do we pay so much less attention to [technology] than we do to drugs and alcohol,” she asked, “when they work on the same brain impulses?”
While the loudest noises on this issue still tend to be made by those who seek to treat the condition they’ve identified, there’s no doubt that smartphones have caused a radical change in human behaviour. Depending on which study you believe, we check our phones anywhere between 50 and 150 times per day. We check them in the middle of the night, when we’re crossing the road and when we’re waiting at traffic lights.
When 2,000 Americans were asked last year about their mobile phone habits, nearly half said that they were trying to cut down on usage, while another survey found that over half of respondents admitted to finding it impossible not to use their smartphone while on holiday. The fact that we’re troubled by the amount we rely on our phones and are unable to change our behaviour would certainly be indicative of a problem, and advice on tackling it ranges from the useful to the satirical.
Austrian designer Klemens Schillinger came up with a Substitute Phone, a dummy device which you can swipe and pinch when you get itchy fingers, while a number of tech experts advocate turning your smartphone display to greyscale, thus removing the colours that do their utmost to attract and distract us.
The software that powers smartphones is certainly designed to grab our attention, whether it’s red notifications or flashing animations, but the most worrying forms of compulsive, phone-related behaviour are activities already recognised as problematic, such as addiction to gambling or pornography, or sociopathic behaviour on social media.
Last week, the World Health Organisation proposed the inclusion of “hazardous gaming” and “gaming disorder” in an update of its International Compendium of Diseases, which has prompted yet more debate over the pathway from gaming to addiction.
There are undoubtedly young people – predominantly men – whose lives have been shattered by addiction to games, but some question whether gaming causes those mental problems, or if gaming is merely indulged in because of an existing condition. However, with “internet gaming disorder” also set to be included in the next edition of DSM-5 (the standard classification of mental disorders used by mental health professionals), there is evidently a growing acceptance of the seriousness of the problem.
While mental health professionals try to help the afflicted and the addicted, who should take the blame? Smartphones have become the fastest adopted consumer technology in history, and the race to capture our attention on those devices has been fierce.
Invasive notification and reminder systems prompt us to do this and do that, and social media apps instil a fear of missing out which compels us to visit and revisit them.
Our anxiety doesn’t just increase when we’re away from our devices – it happens when we’re using them.
A former Google product manager, Tristan Harris, as been at the forefront of identifying techniques used by companies to instil compulsive behaviour that can drift into addiction; these range from the “like” system used on Facebook and Twitter to the Snapchat “streak” feature which subconsciously urges users not to miss out a day of messaging with certain friends. “Whether they want to or not,” he said to CBS News in relation to smartphones, “they are shaping the thoughts and feelings and actions of people. There’s always this narrative that technology’s neutral, and it’s up to us to choose how we use it. This is just not true.”
If competition for our attention on handheld electronic devices is being done in a way that’s intentionally habit forming, then it’s young people – who perhaps don’t have the mental development and wherewithal to resist it – who are at greatest risk. In response to the open letter from the shareholders, Apple has responded with a promise to do more to keep children safe, by introducing new parental tools to help monitor usage and identify problematic behaviour.
But in that same statement, they admit to creating “powerful products that inspire, entertain, and educate”.
The use of the word “powerful” is telling; what’s not clear is whether technology companies truly understand the power that they wield, and to what degree responsible use of that power is being diluted by corporate ambition.
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Read more:
Are they listening? Deconstructing tech conspiracy theories
Tech year in review: Shout-out to suspicion and system errors
Can Google Chrome’s ad filter save us from those annoying pop-ups?
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MATCH INFO
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Godzilla%20x%20Kong%3A%20The%20New%20Empire
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
THE BIO:
Sabri Razouk, 74
Athlete and fitness trainer
Married, father of six
Favourite exercise: Bench press
Must-eat weekly meal: Steak with beans, carrots, broccoli, crust and corn
Power drink: A glass of yoghurt
Role model: Any good man
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Results
Final: Iran beat Spain 6-3.
Play-off 3rd: UAE beat Russia 2-1 (in extra time).
Play-off 5th: Japan beat Egypt 7-2.
Play-off 7th: Italy beat Mexico 3-2.
Company%20Profile
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
ARSENAL IN 1977
Feb 05 Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland
Feb 12 Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal
Feb 15 Middlesbrough 3-0 Arsenal
Feb 19 Arsenal 2-3 West Ham
Feb 26 Middlesbrough 4-1 Arsenal (FA Cup)
Mar 01 Everton 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 05 Arsenal 1-4 ipswich
March 08 Arsenal 1-2 West Brom
Mar 12 QPR 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 23 Stoke 1-1 Arsenal
Apr 02 Arsenal 3-0 Leicester
match info
Southampton 0
Arsenal 2 (Nketiah 20', Willock 87')
Red card: Jack Stephens (Southampton)
Man of the match: Rob Holding (Arsenal)
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
MORE ON THE US DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES
More Expo 2020 Dubai pavilions:
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Specs – Taycan 4S
Engine: Electric
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 571bhp
Torque: 650Nm
Price: Dh431,800
Specs – Panamera
Engine: 3-litre V6 with 100kW electric motor
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 455bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: from Dh431,800
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
UFC%20FIGHT%20NIGHT%3A%20SAUDI%20ARABIA%20RESULTS
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Spare
Profile
Company name: Spare
Started: March 2018
Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah
Based: UAE
Sector: FinTech
Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
RESULTS
6.30pm Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner Canvassed, Par Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
7.05pm Meydan Cup – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,810m
Winner Dubai Future, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas – Group 3 (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Mouheeb, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
8.15pm Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Secret Ambition, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
9.50pm Meydan Classic – Conditions (TB) $$50,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Topper Bill, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
9.25pm Dubai Sprint – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner Man Of Promise, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
