According to Duff Gordon, treatment for standalone technology addiction is still relatively rare (although much more common than it was 10 years ago) in the UK, but when patients are referred for treatment, their tech use has likely come at a cost to their relationships, happiness, employment or finances. Services like those offered by Duff Gordon now include ever-expanding day and inpatient treatment in centres across London, staffed by addiction specialists.

“The classic picture is a person who’s become very isolated,” he explains. “They’ll be on their screens all the time, possibly until the early hours of the morning, and often gaming a lot, too. For this sort of person, their tech use could be a symptom of anxiety or depression, but it also might be fuelling depression or anxiety if they’re aware of how much it’s affecting the rest of their life, for example not being able to hold down a job or maintain a relationship with a partner.”

As for why screens can lend themselves to the obsessive and compulsive behaviours often displayed by addicts, Duff Gordon believes it’s all down to their design. “Apps are created to capture our attention. When our phone pings, for example, our limbic system produces dopamine, the feel-good hormone, and the brain wants more because it likes to feel good. But, just like addictive substances, this can spiral into damaging behaviours.”

This is what spending 28 days in a technology addiction centre is really like