"Dr Nicola Kalk, Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the IoPPN and Consultant Addiction Psychiatrist at South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, discussed problematic smartphone use is not simply about screentime. Drawing on previous research from over 40,000 young people, primarily in Southeast Asia, 23 per cent reported smartphone use patterns consistent with behavioural addiction, which were associated with stress, anxiety, depression and poor sleep.

Building on this, Dr Kalk shared findings from more recent UK-based research, which found problematic smartphone use is not culturally bound. She highlighted a study in the United States, involving over 4,000 students, which identified persistent and increasing patterns of addictive smartphone use—both of which were associated with suicidal ideation and behaviour.

She ended with a thought-provoking question “is it the phone itself that’s addictive, or the content it delivers?”."

You can read the full report from the event here.