We've been very busy in our month off! We have launched our very first Science or Fiction Live, we’ve got a snapshot of ADHD Babes in this month’s episode, and our new episode covers the latest findings on problematic smartphone use and mental health. First, the live event! We are hosting our first Science or Fiction Live: a live podcast recording in London and streamed online. We will be interviewing ADHD researcher Professor Ellie Dommett (King’s College London) and ADHD advocate and podcast director Shauna Campbell (ADHD Babes) on self-diagnosing ADHD: social media, statistics and everything in between. The live event is on Monday 28th October at 6.30pm at the Science Gallery London in London Bridge. There will be prizes, merch and nibbles if you come in person, or you can stream online and still send in your questions for the experts. All the information is on our webpage and you can sign up for free tickets on the eventbrite – hope to see you there! Let’s get into this week’s episode. The debate as to whether young people should be using smartphones, how much they should use them and what they should use them for is all over media (for example, here and here) – and there is little consensus on what we should do. Some are calling for a smartphone ban – author Jonathon Haidt has claimed smartphones should be banned for under 14s and social media for under 16s. Not all scientists agree – digital health researcher Dr Amy Orben has said recently that we are a digital society and children and young people have the right to be a part of it.Two studies published by researchers at King’s College London have delved deeper into how young people feel about their smartphone use, and how problematic smartphone use is related to mental health symptoms.What makes smartphone use problematic and how does it affect us? Is there evidence to suggest we should ban smartphones for young people?This month we interviewed Dr Nicky Kalk, author of the two studies in question, and research and clinical lead at King’s College London, to find out. Listen here, wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTubeResources and recommendationsJournal articles we discussed: * A multi-school study in England, to assess problematic smartphone usage and anxiety and depression, published in Acta Paediatrica* ‘There’s more to life than staring at a small screen’: A mixed methods cohort study of problematic smartphone use and the relationship to anxiety, depression and sleep in 13–16-year-old students in the UK., published in BMJ Mental Health* Problematic smartphone use: What can teenagers and parents do to reduce use?, published in Acta PaediatricaRecommedations:* Nicky recommended The Conversation for articles written by scientists providing overviews of their research* I recommend Lucy Foulkes’ article discussing the nuances of this issueHelp and supportIf you are affected by any of the issues discussed in the episode, you can access free support via the following links:Samaritans contact information: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/The Mix online chat and phone helplines for under 25s: https://www.themix.org.uk/get-supportMind Charity contacts: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/for-children-and-young-people/useful-contacts/The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or The Science or Fiction Podcast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.scienceorfiction.co.uk

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