“I was so deep in tech that I forgot libraries existed,” says 30-year-old Emma Sothcott. She’s currently reading the Throne Of Glass series by Sarah J Maas that’s making the rounds on TikTok. Ironically, Sothcott quit TikTok just over a month ago. “My screen time was hitting seven hours a day. I’d scroll TikTok, check WhatsApp, listen to a podcast on my way to work and then scroll on my phone throughout the working day,” she explains.

Although she’d been thinking about a digital detox for some time, it was a quote from artist Nan Goldin that inspired Sothcott to finally say farewell to social media: “Goldin was asked if she had any advice for the younger generations and she said, ‘Just put down your phones and talk to each other.’”

Digital de-connection is an ever-growing trend among younger people. A study conducted earlier this year reported that 75% of Gen Zers actively monitor their digital consumption. Combine that stat with the fact that sales of CDs and ‘dumb’ flip phones are on the rise among the under 30s, and it’s clear that this generation is ready to rebel against the digitalised world they’ve been raised in.

Wish you could have a permanent digital detox? Here’s how to reduce screen time at work, by the women who’ve done it