Guides to phones, attention and AI
Start with the Scroll Loop, or dip into whatever you're curious about.
These guides draw on my books, my writing on Substack, the research I follow, and what I hear from the people I work with. I update them as I learn.
Katie
Start here
- What is a Scroll Loop?The moment picking up your phone turns into scrolling you didn't choose.
- How to stop scrolling: Scroll, Loop, Notice, ChooseA simple way to catch the loop and choose what happens next.
- Why I created The Attention ExperimentFrom the school computer room in 1996 to the present day.
Phones and scrolling
Why it's so hard to put the phone down, and what helps.
- Why do I keep picking up my phone?The doorways into the scroll: boredom, worry, checking, avoiding and more.
- Why is it so hard to stop scrolling?Addictive design, personalised feeds and the digital dreamstate.
- Doomscrolling: how to stay informed without being consumedHard news, emotional contagion, AI fakes, and a reset for when it's too much.
- Digital self-care: 12 simple ways to feel better about your phonePractical ideas from my book, from cleaning up your feed to closing up shop at night.
AI and thinking
The same pull, in a new form.
- What is a Prompt Loop?Just one more prompt, and an hour gone. How to notice when AI starts doing your thinking.
- Is AI making us think less?Cognitive offloading, what the early research says, and how to keep AI a support.
- AI companions and the attachment economyWhy chatbots can feel like friends, and what young people need to understand.
Digital wellbeing and attention literacy
The bigger picture, and the evidence.
Schools, work and policy
For schools, workplaces and anyone following the debate.
- Phone bans and the social media ban: a win, but not enoughWhere things stand in the UK, and what else young people need.
- Digital wellbeing at work: phones, focus and AIAlways-on culture, constant switching, and sessions for teams.
- Workplace sessionsKeynotes, workshops and away days for teams and co-working spaces.
- The Attention Experiment in schoolsAssemblies, workshops, staff CPD, parent talks and a seven-day review.
- AI and attention sessionsKeynotes and workshops for staff and teams on AI, thinking and wellbeing.
- Book Katie to speakTalks for schools, workplaces, festivals and conferences.
Scroll·Loop·Notice·Choose