I’m addicted to social media…are you?

I'm sitting around a campfire in the bush in Tasmania. I look around and see six expressionless faces, all lit by the cold blue glow of their phones.

This scene is an all too common; divided attention is unfortunately normal.

I wasn't really bothered by this until I decide to take some time off social media. Without my apps to fall back on, I could see my friends give into distraction. As soon as the conversation lulled, one person would pull out their phone, and after that, one by one, everyone fell like dominos. Within a minute, the virus had spread and everyone was in their own little world, heads down, illuminated by that cold, blue glow.

As a Gen Z, I am no stranger to social media. I was part of the first generation to have access to phones and social media during our formative teenage years, when our brains were still developing.? I'm addicted to social media, and that's not surprising.

But it was only when I did the maths that it really hit home. I spent an average of 3.5 hours on my phone every single day. That means I spend more than 53 days of every year mindlessly looking at my phone. 53 days!!!? Do you know how much I could do with 53 extra days each year?!

Later that day, I was driving past a park when I saw two girls, probably around 12 years old, swinging on the swings. They weren't talking, and they weren't smiling. They had their chins tucked firmly in their chests, eyes glued to their phones.

That's when I knew something had to change.

I'm on a mission to empower young people to build healthier relationships with their phones and with social media. I'm passionate about helping young people to shift their mindsets, build mental resilience and develop the tools to thrive - and that starts with our relationships to our phones.

In this series, I will be sharing information about digital addiction, the upcoming social media ban and how we can all create healthier phone habits to regain control of our lives.