We gave teenagers smartphones. Did we rob them of an inner life? | Johanna Leggatt

Teens, more than anyone, need time spent in solitude, where emotions are processed and the brain powers down

There are many reasons to fret about our relationship to technology, not least of which is the way smartphones, and their slot machine-like apps, have hooked us so thoroughly. Thanks to these miniature overlords many of us now boast the attention span (and manners) of a toddler, and, like prisoners on parole, are physically incapable of moving about without our electronic monitoring devices on us at all times.

When adults behave this way it's depressing and odd, but when teenagers step into this world - not having known an alternative reality - the problem becomes a social concern.