I was addicted to my phone – but one screen time hack actually made a difference

Our writer found a surprisingly effective way to cut down his smartphone use. Plus, what to eat while watching the World Cup - inspired by all 48 teams

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I recently learned through Apple's Screen Time app that I was spending about eight hours a week on my phone browsing Reddit and Instagram. That's 17.3 days a year spent consuming entertaining but ultimately pointless fluff. So my piece looking for solutions for phone addicts was highly personal.

The warning signs are if your phone is the first thing you look at in the morning and the last thing you look at in bed, says Prof Marcantonio Spada, emeritus professor of addictive behaviours and mental health at London South Bank University and chief clinical officer at Onebright, who I spoke to for my article.