Because sometimes sheer-willpower is hard to find.

Smartphones have taken over the world and with it the attention, perspective and priorities of so many of us.

Technology is wonderful.  It has brought us education, global connectivity, life-saving innovation, travel, convenience and culture, but it can also harm us - deeply - as recent research has shown. 

• With an average screentime of 8-9 hrs/ day, an 18 year old today is on course to spend >93% of their free time for the rest of their lives on a screen (source: Project Reboot)

• Kids now spend less time outdoors (<1hr) per day than an inmate at a high security jail (c.2hrs) (source)

• Since the advent of the iPhone in 2010, anxiety rates increased from 10.4% to 24.3% in 2019 (source: The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt)

• Obesity has overtaken malnutrition as the biggest global health issue with 1 in 8 of the global population now considered ‘obese’ or ‘overweight’ (source: WHO)

• 49% of UK adults (source) and 30% of US adults (source) now report feeling lonely

Communities are in decline, and polarisation and pessimism on the rise with businesses seeking to capitalise with quick fixes and ‘hacks': comfort in online ‘tribes’, pills, supplements, apps, mindfulness, obesity-injections and more.

Whilst many of these issues pre-date are not solely the fault of smartphones, they act as an accelerant, pouring fuel on the flames with addictive apps designed to monetise our attention, dividing us via outrage, keeping us from in-person experiences, exercise, focus and sleep.

The good news is that most of the best antidotes are free: time in nature, sport, socialising, reading, volunteering, sleep, and simply switching off and tuning-out the noise.

And yet we struggle. Because we’re fighting against sophisticated, behavioural science. Apps and algorithms designed to addict and which learn about us to serve us our base desires…. outrage, validation, the comfort of tribes, quick dopamine amusement and diversion and…. ‘stuff’. So much stuff to make us more attractive, richer, more popular or influential.

The solution is intention, not abstinence. Via information, inspiration & empowerent.

This is what smaarter was founded to provide.