A leading therapist specialising in digital dependency has reported a sharp increase in British patients seeking help for compulsive smartphone use, with some spending up to 14 hours a day on their devices. Dr. Harriet Vance, founder of the London Centre for Digital Health, said her practice had seen a 40 per cent rise in referrals over the past six months, a trend she described as a public health crisis.
The patients, ranging from teenagers to retirees, report symptoms including sleep deprivation, social isolation, and an inability to complete basic tasks without checking their phones. Vance noted that many of those seeking help had average screen times of 10 to 14 hours daily, often driven by social media algorithms designed to maximise engagement. The rise comes as the Royal College of Psychiatrists warns of an increasing link between heavy smartphone use and anxiety, depression, and attention deficit disorders.
Vance is now calling for government intervention, including mandatory screen time warnings on devices and school-based digital literacy programmes. The surge in demand underscores a growing recognition of phone addiction as a clinical condition rather than a lifestyle choice. Vance emphasised that the problem is particularly acute among young adults, who have grown up with smartphones and now struggle to moderate their usage.
She said the therapy often involves cognitive behavioural techniques to break the cycle of compulsive checking and re-establish healthy boundaries with technology. Without systemic action, she warned, the trend is likely to worsen.
