Modern Wisdom

#921 - Catherine Price - How To Defeat Your Social Media Addiction

Mar 29, 2025

Catherine Price, a journalist and author known for her insights on technology's impact on our minds, dives into the pervasive influence of smartphones. She discusses alarming statistics on phone usage, revealing many spend up to six hours daily on devices. The conversation explores how this affects attention spans, the dopamine trap of social media, and the importance of mindfulness. Price provides practical strategies for restoring focus and enhancing memory, urging listeners to seek real-life fulfillment over digital distractions.

01:17:01

Episode guests

Catherine Price

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

The average person spends four to six hours daily on their phones, impacting sleep and overall health for younger generations.

There are generational and gender differences in smartphone usage, with younger individuals and women more likely to engage heavily with social media.

Mindfulness exercises like WWW can help individuals reflect on their phone usage, potentially reclaiming time for more meaningful activities.

Deep dives

The Alarming Stats of Phone Usage

People currently spend a staggering amount of time on their phones, with estimates ranging from four to six hours each day. This adds up to approximately 75 days a year, which is quite shocking. Younger generations, particularly those under 30, tend to use their phones even more, often sacrificing sleep in the process. The data suggests that individuals involved in nightlife or club promotion have particularly high phone usage, which can lead to unhealthy habits and warrant discussions around interventions.

Intro

2min

Digital Engagement: Unpacking Screen Time and Its Effects

18min

Understanding Intermittent Rewards and Dopamine Detox

2min

Navigating the Dopamine Trap

11min

The Illusion of Memory in a Digital Age

7min

The Impact of Phones and AI on Relationships

11min

Exploring AI in Film and Everyday Life

2min

Navigating Digital Relationships and Emotional Attachment

22min

The Importance of Fun and Connection in a Digital Age

2min

Catherine Price is a journalist, author, and science writer.

How much are our phones affecting our brains? Our attention spans seem to be getting shorter, and many of us feel more forgetful. So how much of this can we blame on our phones and what can we do to fix it?

Expect to learn how many hours a day people spend on their phone, what phones do to our attention span, if Tik tok memory brain is real, the real impact this kind of cellphone usage is doing to our brains and how it changes your focus and much more…

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Extra Stuff:

Catherine’s SubStack: https://catherineprice.substack.com/

Website: https://catherineprice.com/

Book: https://tinyurl.com/tnrfk84m

Instagram: @catherinepriceofficial

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/catherinepriceofficial

BlueSky: @catherine-price

Twitter/X: @catherine_price