Youngsters are struck dumb by their phones

A COLLEAGUE, trying desperately to reach one of her staff, ended up tweeting at her: “Pick up your phone! It’s what it’s there for!” Not for most twentysomethings. They may be wedded to their iPhones — email! Twitter! Instagram! — but they hate actually talking to anyone on them.

At 31, I’m among the last of those who grew up using a phone largely to ring people. The evenings of my early adolescence were spent on the parental landline, speaking to friends I’d spent all day with. My first mobile, a Nokia 3210, didn’t even have a camera, let alone email.

We need to help the young recover from their telephonophobia. The phone is potent technology: you can convey tone, avoid jokes being misconstrued and get immediate answers. Not even a string of emojis can do that.