Midlife guide to… scroll-free September

Fancy going dry this September?

We’re just on the other side of one of the most parched periods in British history. Surely this heatwave can’t really hold out another two months?

You’ll have to ask the Met Office about that. I’m referring to dryness of a different kind – like that extended to the month of January, where people ditch drink.

They’re not making us do that for a second month in the year now, are they?

Booze is allowed during scroll-free September.

Phew. But what is it?

The Royal Society for Public Health’s (RSPH) bid to tame young people’s unwieldy relationship with

social media – by asking us to cut it out for a month.

You mean that for 30 whole days I won’t have my commute interrupted by people bursting into fits of laughter while watching the latest viral video doing the rounds on Facebook?

Yes, but the campaign also seeks to address the negative by-products social media can create – anxiety, poor sleep, body image issues – by encouraging people to limit their usage. “We will be able to reflect on what

we missed, what we didn’t, and what we got to enjoy instead of scrolling through our newsfeeds,” explains Shirley Cramer, the RSPH’S chief executive.

Can young British adults really give up the ‘Gram for a whole month?

Half of the 18- to 34-yearolds surveyed said going cold turkey would be “impossible”. Yet even so, something encouraging people to talk IRL can only be a good thing.