#3 “I wish we could go back to a time before the internet.”

#3 “I wish we could go back to a time before the internet.”

30 May 2025

When you read that, what age person do you picture saying it? My guess would be somebody my age or older – I mean, I’m old enough to remember when the internet wasn’t really a thing…

But according to a BSI survey published last week, 47% of young people aged 16-21 said they’d prefer to grow up in a world without the internet. 68% said social media makes them feel worse. Half want a curfew on apps.

How did it come to this? The internet was supposed to connect us, inform us, and make life better. Instead, it’s leaving nearly half of young people wishing it never existed.

Somewhere along the way, being online stopped feeling like a choice. It became the default. And it’s exhausting. It’s a huge problem that we won’t solve in one email. But we can start taking back control, starting TODAY.

The new normal is nuts

At some point – without really noticing – we accepted a version of life that would’ve looked insane 20 years ago:

  • Constant pings, updates, alerts, DMs
  • 10+ hours a day staring into glowing rectangles
  • 24/7 access to endless entertainment, outrage, comparison

We weren’t built for this. And we won’t fix it with a fancy new app!

We fix it by choosing how we spend our attention (before someone else does).

My 1st digital breakup

In early 2020, during a student exchange, I gave a presentation titled: “How to Stop Being a Slave to Your Phone”

Questionable title aside, the ideas stuck with me. I made my phone as boring as possible. I turned off colours, hid my apps, and cut the dopamine loop.

Then the pandemic hit. Like most people, I got sucked back in. But the habits I’d built kept me from completely losing the plot. Here are my action tips from the talk:

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Now it’s 2025, and I’ve taken those old slides and turned them into something better: A friendly little system that helps you break your phone’s spell over you, one micro-step at a time.

🤖 Try the Phone Reset RoboCoach

Instructions: Click the Send button to begin → Type in the box to go through the steps.

The system isn’t teaching this

Some schools are locking phones away. Others are banning them entirely. That helps in the moment – but it misses the point.

If you don’t address why people are glued to their phones, bans just kick the problem down the road (until the school bell rings).

It’s not about more restriction. It’s about better design.

We need to make it harder to scroll and easier to be present, and – crucially – make it more fun to unplug.

That’s why we’re creating the Modern Day Survival Kit. It’s about giving you practical tools to consciously manage your digital life. The first piece is a one-page PDF to help you unhook, refocus, and feel free again. Here’s a rough early v0.5:

✅ Download the Digital Reset Cheatsheet (free)

We’d love to hear what works for you! Grab a pen & paper and run through these points + questions. This could save you up to 2 hours a day. What will you do with them?

Your attention is your most valuable resource. You deserve control over your energy, time, and mental health. So just imagine:

What could you do if your phone wasn’t the boss of your brain?

PS. Know someone trapped in scroll jail? Forward this email and set them free 🕊️