logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2024
22m 58s

Switching off our smartphones

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Concerns are growing about the effects of smartphones on both adults and children, so we're looking at ways to reduce our dependence on these ubiquitous devices.

Presenter Myra Anubi attempts to ditch her smartphone for a week, while she finds out about a fast-growing campaign in which local parents get together to agree to delay buying them for their children. But Myra and her own daughter don't quite see eye-to-eye on the topic.

Plus Anna Holligan visits an innovative project called The Offline Club in Amsterdam, where people hand in their phones in exchange for a dose of good old real-life interaction.

People Fixing The World from the BBC is about brilliant solutions to the world's problems. We'd love you to let us know what you think and to hear about your own solutions. You can contact us on WhatsApp by messaging +44 8000 321721 or email peoplefixingtheworld@bbc.co.uk. And please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.

Presenter: Myra Anubi Producer: William Kremer Netherlands reporter: Anna Holligan Editor: Jon Bithrey Sound mix: Hal Haines

Up next
Oct 27
We've moved! Subscribe to The Documentary
People Fixing The World has moved to a new home. Just search for The Documentary wherever you get your podcasts to continue hearing from Myra and the team, with a new episode exploring positive solutions to some of the world's biggest challenges published every Wednesday. 
43s
Oct 20
Breaking the code of silence
We travel to the Italian island of Sicily to see how Palermo residents are fighting back against the influence of the Mafia. Presenter Myra Anubi meets people from the charity Addiopizzo, which encourages residents to stop paying protection money known as "pizzo" and visit a neig ... Show More
23m 38s
Oct 13
The everyday tech helping to prevent disasters
For International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (October 13th), we're finding out how technology can help prevent disasters, save lives and help rescuers. In Argentina, we’ll meet Franco Rodríguez Viau whose family friends lost their home in a fire, inspiring him to find a way ... Show More
25m 21s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2023
Breaking Up (and Making Up) with Your Phone
These days, it’s easy to be glued to your phone and have mixed feelings about it. If you spend too little time, you feel disconnected. But too much time can make you feel bad. So, Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores a possible solution - digital detox. But what does that really mean? On to ... Show More
35m 18s
Aug 2025
Is your phone becoming a time suck? Try a boring phone
Phones can be addicting: There are endless texts to answer, notifications to check and games to play. We often end up on our phones without intending to. But Jose Briones, author of Low Tech Life: A guide to Mindful Digital Minimalism, says there is a solution. This episode, tips ... Show More
21m 9s
Jul 2023
Smartphones: are they changing your body?
<p>Smartphones have become an integral part of our daily lives, connecting us to the world and transforming the way we interact with information and each other. However, they are potentially making us hunched, near-sighted and depressed. Today we are talking about how our phones ... Show More
49m 30s
Apr 2023
Why Switch to a Dumbphone?
We've reached a fever pitch with smartphones, and more and more people aren't sure what to do anymore with these computers in our pockets. Is it time to throw them in a river and "downgrade" to older school flip phones? Some folks are. Autumn Kern is one such person, and in this ... Show More
36m 22s
Sep 2025
How To Use Technology and Not Lose Our Minds
Is delegating tasks and even thinking to digital devices making us lose our minds, or at least some brain function? Dr. Sanjay Gupta and neuroscientist Baroness Susan Greenfield, Oxford University professor and author of “Mind Change: How Digital Technologies Are Leaving Their Ma ... Show More
30m 59s
Feb 2022
How to Break Up With Your Phone and Have More Fun
We’re joined by Catherine Price, a science journalist and speaker, to talk about our relationship with our devices, how to achieve more screen-life balance, and the value of having more true fun. We discuss: How our attachment to our phones impacts our stress levels How social ... Show More
46m 48s
Apr 2020
How Our Screen Habits Impact Our Stress Levels
The pandemic has us all glued to our screens. Smartphones, tablets, laptops, and TVs provide vital information, social connection, and distractions—but excessive or unstructured screen use can increase anxiety, reduce focus, and worsen stress. Catherine Price, founder of Screen/L ... Show More
23m 18s
Aug 2021
Phone Addiction: The effects of smartphones on your brain
<p>This episode we're talking about something we all seem to be addicted to... PHONES. We'll discuss the effects our phones have on us and our brains as well as our experience taking a cellphone 'vacation' while on vacation.</p><br><p>What did we learn this week 3:11</p><p>Scient ... Show More
47 m
Jan 2018
Ep. 3 – Mobile Phone Anxiety
We all love our phones, but could yours be making you anxious?Here I give tips on:* Why our phones trigger our anxiety* Simple ways to use your phone less* How to stop social media from triggering your anxietyPlease subscribe to ‘The Calmer you Podcast' in the podcast app or in i ... Show More
20m 14s