Science &
Technology
The ‘Smartphone-free Childhood’ movement has alerted many of us to the dangers inherent in our – and our kids’ – use of devices. But while we can shield children from technology in their early years, withdrawing from the online world is not an option for most of us in adult life. So how do we ensure that we – and our children when they grow up – develop a healthy relationship with smartphones and don’t become addicted to mindless scrolling and harmful consumption?
On May 13, Professor Kaitlyn Regehr – one of the world’s foremost experts on digital literacy – comes to Intelligence Squared to set out the science of smartphone addiction. She will provide a practical guide for taking advantage of the good things the internet has to offer while giving advice on how to avoid its darker side. Regehr will discuss how to think critically in a digital environment that is constantly seeking to harvest your attention and how to understand misogyny, pornography, politics, body image, advertising and violence online.
Join us for an evening of insight and ask your questions in the audience Q&A.
Smartphone Nation: Why We're All Addicted To Screens And What You Can Do About It
by Kaitlyn Regehr
Research Director and co-founder of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media (CASM) at the think tank Demos. He presented the BBC's flagship technology programme 'Click' and is author of The Death of the Gods: The New Global Power Grab which examines how new technologies change power dynamics in our societies. He was recently appointed to Chatham House's taskforce on Responsible AI.
Speakers are subject to change.