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Guest Essay

By Julia Angwin

Ms. Angwin, a contributing Opinion writer, is an investigative journalist.

I have long been skeptical of the current hysteria about how our phones are addictive machines destroying our previously pristine analog world. But a few months ago, even I began to be vaguely worried that I was devoting too many hours to an embarrassing medley of political commentary and makeup application TikTok videos. So when I spied an article about the benefits of switching one’s phone to a black-and-white color scheme, I figured I’d give it a whirl.

The result was shocking. The moment I switched, I no longer felt an urgent need to look at my iPhone — an urge that I hadn’t known was so strong until it was gone. I experienced a full- bodied sense of relief when the colors faded to gray.

An invisible cord had been severed. I would leave my phone in my room when I walked from my home office to the kitchen. I would........

© The New York Times