Are we addicted to our smartphones? | The Conversation | BBC Focus on Africa podcast

How many hours a day do you spend on your smartphone? Smartphones are essential - but concerns about overuse are growing. Research has linked smartphone addiction to depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Focus on Africa host Nkechi Ogbonna spoke to 27-year-old Dion Rapakgadi from Johannesburg about his past struggles with phone addiction, and to Kenyan musician Nviiri the Storyteller, who recently swapped his smartphone for a basic “dumb phone.” 00:00-00:53 Coming up 00:54-01:31 What's your average daily screen time? 01:32-03:03 Introduction 03:04-03:27 Nviiri’s and Dion’s screen time 03:35-06:00 Becoming aware of their smartphone dependency 06:06- 06:44 What was Nviiri consuming the most? 07:15-07:44 How Dion realised there was a problem 08:00-10:08 The signs and symptoms of a smartphone addiction 10:18-11:48 How did the smartphone addiction affected Dion? 12:00-13:23: The moment Nviiri decided to get off his smartphone 13:53-15:21 Nviiri's decision to get a dumb phone 15:25-15:47 Nviiri's relationship with his fans 16:02-16:48 Dion’s coping mechanism 16-55-18:48 Tips for having a healthier relationship with your phone 18:54-20:06 What Dion and Nviiri to do limit screen time 20:19-21:00 The benefits of switching to a dumb phone 21:09-21:43 If your phone could talk what would it say? 🎤 Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna 🎬 Producers: Carolyne Kiambo and Fana Weldye 🎬 Senior Producer: Priya Sippy Executive Editors: Maryam Abdalla and Sam Murunga #theconversation #bbcafrica #smartphone #smartphoneaddiction Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/