We can’t quit smartphones, but we can manage digital junk food better

By Tanja Ahlin, Research Fellow in Anthropology, Leiden University
Xin Zhan, Research fellow, SOAS, University of London; University of Cambridge

Amy, a 27-year-old software developer, has struggled with disordered eating since she was a teenager. “But after learning to code, I got much better,” she said in a research interview. “I often code for ten or more hours without stopping.” Her psychiatrist, however, worried that Amy has replaced one compulsive behaviour with another.

“Digital addiction” is often used to describe our relationship with smartphones, social media and other digital technologies. This way of thinking suggests that people get “hooked”…

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