What are the essentials of life? The U.S. academic Abraham Maslow famously said all humans had basic physiological needs: air, water, food, clothes, warmth and shelter.
Sure, I rarely leave the house without mine — I see it as an indispensable tool for work — but I would not say I am addicted to it.
She was backed by Jason Elsom, chief executive of the charity Parentkind, who said: 'Children are addicted to harmful 'electronic drugs' and have no escape from their digital dealers, not even within the relatively safe grounds of their schools.' Appalled, and after yet another row, I foolishly declared that we, as a family, were going to go phone-free for a week. Celia and Arthur howled, claiming they would call Childline and report me for abuse.
Dame Rachel de Souza, the children's commissioner, recently told MPs she thought many parents were setting a bad example to their children with their own 'uncontrolled' phone use — did she have a point? Avoiding work messages before 8am and after 8pm is a habit I would like to keep. When I pointed this out to Vic, she claimed I was becoming insufferably smug.
I had underestimated how many important functions my phone undertakes, not least banking. I was nowhere near a computer when Celia called asking me to top up her travel card, something that usually takes 30 seconds on the app. It was irritating that Celia, who spends more time on her phone than anyone else, seemed to be finding it easier than I was and would breezily answer 'fine, really' when I asked her how her no-phone day had gone.
Did I feel guilty? A little —but also relief that I was finally back to normal. That said, I am determined to spend less thoughtless time on my phone, particularly early in the morning and late at night. I do worry that I waste hours on social media, rather than earning money, reading books or just engaging with the world.
But these were frustrations, not a serious diminishment to my daily life. What I found really hard — and surprisingly so — was how isolating it was to have no access to the myriad ways I contact friends and family, particularly WhatsApp. Harry is essentially a grumpy, solitary man who contacts his friends twice a year — if he's feeling sociable.
I resorted to email from my laptop, but the last reply from Alexander, our 21-year-old, read: 'This is a ridiculous way to communicate, when is this experiment of yours going to be over?'And I didn't care — no one was giving me a pocket money bonus for lasting a week. Mostly, I loathed how lonely it made me feel. Yes, I spend too long on my smartphone, but it turns out most of that time is keeping in touch with those I love. What a wonderful invention.
Advertisement Some of my friends thought it was hilarious, especially when it went off in class making the absurd doo-de-doo-doo ringtone. Even my teachers teased me. I am on various group chats, such as for my netball team. Not getting all the gossip was horrendous! I suffered from major FOMO knowing my friends were discussing plans I couldn't be part of, which was upsetting.
In any case, every morning my school makes us lock away our phones in something called a Yondr Pouch, which we can unlock with magnets at the end of the day. The teachers are quite strict, so most of us don't check our phones.
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