Foto: Channel 4

Når man fjerner mobiler falder angsten

En engelsk tv-station har i samarbejde med en række eksperter lavet et eksperiment på en skole. Eleverne skulle klare sig uden deres smartphones i 21 dage, eksperterne målte på elevernes trivsel imens og resultaterne var overraskende. Angst-symptomer faldt 17 procent og børnene sov pludselig en time mere hver dag. Symptomer på depression faldt med 18 procent!

‘”There was a 17% drop in anxiety symptoms in students. The impact was really quick,” he said.
“They slept on average an extra hour a day, which is going to have a huge impact on mental health.
“There was an 18% reduction in symptoms relating to depression and a 3% improvement in working memory in just 21 days.”‘
“Jessica had not believed she was addicted to her phone before she took part.
“But actually I think everyone who has a phone is probably addicted, especially as it’s such a big part of daily life, so hard to get rid of it,” she said.
“At first I was really, really excited and felt like it’d be a weight off my shoulders – in the early days I kept reaching for it.”
She did miss talking to friends online, but soon realised she did not miss apps like TikTok and Instagram, and she was “definitely talking to my mum more and being more focused”.
She did point out: “Even our homework is all set online and nothing is written out on paper… maybe we should have our homework on paper?”
En af elevene, Jessica, konstaterer at ‘alle er afhængige’ af deres smartphones, men gjorde også opmærksom på et sted, hvor tingene ikke hænger sammen: Alt hjemmearbejde skal laves online.
‘Måske vi skulle gøre det på papir’, foreslår hun.