“We are the first species in history to prioritise pixels over paradise.” That striking line from a recent Time Magazine article formed the backdrop of a fascinating conversation on 702’s Weekend Breakfast, where host Gugs Mhlungu spoke with Dr. Melané van Zyl, board member of the South African Society of Psychiatrists, about what our smartphone habits are quietly doing to us. The numbers alone are sobering: while Americans average around eight hours a day on their phones, South Africans clock in at nine and a half — and that behaviour, Dr. van Zyl warns, is filtering through to our children too.
The consequences stretch well beyond a stiff neck or tired eyes. Our brains, Dr. van Zyl explains, were never designed for continuous, uninterrupted stimulation — they were built for periods of rest, punctuated by bursts of alertness when real danger appeared. Instead, we now live in a state of perpetual alert, our bodies flooded with cortisol every time a notification fires, as though each ping were a genuine threat. Over time, this takes a serious toll: clinically, excessive phone use is linked to depression, anxiety, disrupted sleep, emotional dysregulation, and even increased suicidal ideation. Cognitively, our capacity for deep focus is eroding — what researchers call continuous partial attention, where we are never fully present in anything we do. And socially, the cruelest irony of all: the platforms sold to us as connection tools are making us more isolated, not less.
The encouraging news is that turning the tide doesn’t require a digital detox retreat. A Stanford meta-analysis of 400 studies found that just 10 to 20 minutes in nature per day produces measurable mental health benefits — no scenic destination needed, a patch of grass will do. More broadly, Dr. van Zyl recommends bringing conscious intention back to how we use our devices.
Here are some practical steps to start with:
- Set phone-free times — mealtimes and the hour before bed are good places to start
- Turn off non-essential notifications so you choose when to check in, rather than being summoned
- Leave your phone out of the bedroom to protect your sleep and reclaim your mornings
- Be present in conversations — if you notice yourself reaching for your phone mid-chat, pause and put it face down
- Use your phone with purpose — there’s a meaningful difference between intentional use and mindless doomscrolling
- Aim for a realistic daily limit — Dr. van Zyl suggests around three to four hours for adults as a reasonable target, and to be mindful of what you’re doing in that time
- Get outside — even a short walk in green space each day can meaningfully counteract the mental health impact of prolonged screen time
The goal isn’t to abandon our phones — they’re genuinely useful tools. It’s to stop letting them run the day on our behalf.
– Dr Melané van Zyl is a psychiatrist and member of the South African Society of Psychiatrists.
