Featured Image Credit: NIC COURY/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Technology, iPhone, Science, Life
Jen Thomas
Topics: Technology, iPhone, Science, Life
Apple CEO Tim Brooks has been blunt about the addiction many people have to their gadgets and phones.
When was the last time you went out and left your phone at home? Or left it in another room when you went to bed, instead of lying awake and scrolling for hours on end.
A recent study, published in Frontiers in Psychiatry found that smartphones can have hugely negative effects on us when used too often, but also acknowledged they are an 'integral' part of life now.
The authors wrote: “Excessive use of smartphones can cause not only physical discomfort but also feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and depression."
Advert
You might think that the CEO of Apple wants people to use their products as much as humanly possible, but Brooks, 65, insists that's not the case.
During an interview with Good Morning America’s Michael Strahan, the big boss confessed: “I don’t want people using them too much."
He elaborated on his surprising remark, and added: “I don’t want people looking at the smartphone more than they’re looking in someone’s eyes; as if they’re scrolling endlessly."
Brooks shared some blunt advice: “This is not how you want to spend your day. Go out and spend it in nature.”
Asked what he thought about the ever-increasing use of AI, he said he thinks it 'is so profound and can be so positive.'
“But you know, technology doesn’t want to be good, and it doesn’t want to be bad,” he added.
“It’s in the hands of the user and the hands of the inventor.”
The researchers in the aforementioned study mirror some of the comments by Brooks, about the need to put our phones down and spend time outside, or reconnecting with loved ones.
They found that 'an increasing number of people rely on their smartphones to help them pass the time' and it has caused a 'heads-down' generation, whose physical and mental well-being may be harmed in several ways.
Researchers found that excessive smartphone use or dependency 'can lead to various psychological, physiological, and social impairments.'
They found it can impair our dopamine receptors, as many of us cannot resist checking our phones immediately when we receive a notification.
According to the Express, 2,000 Gen Z office workers were surveyed and almost half of them said they wanted a 'green' day off once a month, which they could use to explore nature and go for walks instead of staring at a screen.
The survey, carried out by Ecotone, found 47% of the workers aged 18-29 wanted a paid 'green day' off to reconnect with nature.
Sara Lom is a Chief Executive at The Tree Council, and she said: "The mental and physical health benefits of spending time outside in green spaces are huge.
"It’s easy to take nature for granted, but trees and hedgerows are our truly unsung heroes - they help tackle climate change, provide homes for thousands of species of precious wildlife, support our health and wellbeing, and so much more."
Maybe we all need to step away from our phones for a bit and go for a walk.