Rosanna Cooney: 'I have no desire to go back on social media.' Photograph: Bryan O’BrienOver the past four weeks, I’ve read nine books, learned five guitar chords, written every day, and learned how to use my sister’s sewing machine. Unsubscribe from all emails from social media and entertainment platforms, and any company that makes its money from you spending time on its site. In the case of phone use, it means keeping your phone far away from you, as physical distance creates psychological distance. The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, which heavily influenced Australia’s ban on under-16s using social media, makes a damning case against “phone-based childhoods”, linking their use to mental illness.

Source: The Irish Times February 14, 2026 13:44 UTC