WHY I’M WORRIED ABOUT . . .

IT’S a touch ironic that younger generations, who have grown up with a mobile phone attached to their hand, are, according to research out this week, seemingly losing the skill of conversation.

They are more at home texting and staying in touch via social media, rather than actually talking to one another face-to-face — and this, warns Cancer Research UK, is leading to social isolation.

Perhaps one answer is to follow the lead of actress Joanna Lumley, who uses her mobile phone only to pay for parking. ‘I will turn it on... use it to park, then switch it off,’ she confides. Maybe more of us should do the same.