It's Complicated: the podcast that explores our tricky relationships with our phones

Mobile tech and social media can leave us  in a daze. Tanya Goodin’s series explores the solutions
Can't put your phone down? This podcast might help
Dollar Gill / Unsplash
Amelia Heathman6 March 2020

Most of us find it difficult to part with our smartphones. A YouGov survey found 44 per cent of us feel anxious without our devices — rising to 53 per cent for millennials — while 42 per cent admitted they waste time on their phones.

As someone who has disappeared down more than one Wikipedia hole when on deadline, I can certainly vouch for this.

It’s Complicated is the podcast that explores our, well, complicated relationships with our devices, as host Tanya Goodin, founder of the Time To Log Off movement chats with experts and famous names. Season three, launched this week, features reality TV star Jamie Laing, Love Island’s Dr Alex, and Dr Juliana Schroeder of UC Berkeley, who conducts research into real-world connections.

“Everyone feels bad about the time they’re spending on their phone and it’s reassuring to hear everybody feels the same way,” says Goodin. “The cries for how we are going to live with it healthily have got louder. Everyone I spoke to has talked about mental health and the social media implications.”

Kicking off the season is Dr Alex. As a doctor in A&E — where there has been an increase in young people reporting psychiatric conditions — he sees the impact of social media on the NHS. As a Love Islander he has experienced online bullying and was close to former presenter Caroline Flack, who took her own life last month. “He has quite strong views about who is to blame. I was anxious about [discussing] that sensitively but it was really important we talk about it,” says Goodin.

However, she also wants to highlight the benefits of tech. The series features Shannon Downey, the founder of Badass Cross Stitch, who uses social media to promote activism through crafts, and the team behind the Yes Theory YouTube Channel — Thomas Brag, Matt Dajer and Ammar Kandil — who create challenges that push themselves and others outside their comfort zone with the aim of spreading community.

Former Love Islander Dr Alex George appears on the podcast to discuss how he approaches social media and tech
Ken McKay/ITV/REX

What’s Goodin’s approach? Treat problem areas like junk food: pinpoint what you go back to when you’re bored or stressed, and how can you cut it down. “It might be WhatsApp, it might be Instagram. We need to know ourselves, know what we’re using it for and actually what is the best platform for you.”

The important thing is not to get too stressed out: “The internet is an incredibly powerful tool. We’re suddenly grappling with this massive change in the way we live, work and communicate. We might fix it, but it might take longer to fix than the time it took to create the problem.”

It’s Complicated season three is out now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify