Gaétan Supertino, modified in The Assembly voted on Thursday for a bill aimed at banning laptops in schools and colleges. A text that questions the place of telephones in our lives.

"It is important to no longer have cell phones that invade the lives of our teenagers", declared, in March, the Minister of Education Jean-Michel Blanquer, to defend the ban on cell phones in school and college. . The measure was voted on Thursday in the National Assembly. And it encourages us to question the place of mobile phones in the lives of our teenagers… as in ours. In a meeting, at the table, walking down the street… Who has never used their smartphone in a place and at a time when it didn't really belong?

Sometimes the use of our phones can even turn into addiction. We can't bear to be separated from it, to miss a "notification" or an event. Psychological researchers call it "nomophobia", or the fear of being separated from one's motive. “Smartphones are changing our fundamental human behaviors, which have been at the heart of society and human well-being throughout history,” psychological researcher Kostadin Kushlev (University of Virginia) warned in February. study on the issue. How can we make our smartphones take up less space in our lives? Europe 1 gives you five tips to detoxify yourself.

1) Make your phone as unattractive as possible

The onset of withdrawal may begin with a few simple manipulations to do on your phone itself. When you know you're not expecting a crucial call, don't hesitate to put it on silent for several hours, even for an entire day or an entire weekend (not on vibrate, really on silent). And if it emits a lot of light, don't hesitate to put it upside down, glass side up, "on its stomach". Try to set aside time to also put all your "conversations" (on Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter, Gmail, etc.) in "mute" mode: you don't leave the conversation, but you don't receive messages either. notices.

And if you have made your mobile a game console with a catalog as long as your arm, if you are a fan of "Candy crush", "Clash of clans", "Fortnite" or other "Helix jump", why not settle down a simple rule: every week, or every month, you uninstall at least one game from your phone? And if you still want to play it afterwards, reinstall the application while uninstalling another one. Finally, try to apply the same rule for all applications that send you notifications. Try to go without it for a day, a week, a month, and ask yourself if you really miss it once the period is over. The goal of all these maneuvers: to make your phone as unattractive as possible, all in a progressive way.

2) Calculate the time spent on the laptop… and the time spent without

A good way to wean yourself off your smartphone is also to realize how much time you spend on it. Thus, try to time the time elapsed between the moment you take it in your hand (outside of work or emergency, of course) and the moment you put it down for a long time. Then do the same for the periods you go without a phone.

Then get yourself a calendar, and try to set yourself goals: on such a day I take so much time, on such a day so much time, etc. Do not set too big goals from the start, try to go crescendo, the most important (and most motivating) is to feel that we are progressing. To calculate the time spent on your phone, you can also use your phone. The Moment, Quality Time or Checky applications, for example, are intended for this. And why not set alarms to respect the usage time you have set?

3) Do you know the magic basket?

Your weaning can begin with specific occasions: during a long meal with friends or family, when you walk your dog, while going shopping, during a simple walk outside, in your bath, on the toilet... Try to identify times when you know you can go long minutes, even hours, without having access to your phone. To help you take the plunge, why not get yourself a basket, a box or simply choose a drawer, which will be entirely dedicated to accommodating your phone during these weaning stages?

4) Reward your efforts

Some behavioral psychologists call this "positive self-reinforcement": give yourself a reward each time you achieve a goal. And if possible a reward that doesn't require your phone. A restaurant, a shopping session, a good beer… we let you choose. You can even organize several kinds of "carrots": a small one if you last an hour, a bigger one if you manage to do it all weekend! Be imaginative, and anticipate: the idea is to make you want to quit for the long term.

5) Find substitutes

Finally, try to compensate for your "smartphone craving" with something else. This involves, first, identifying when and why you usually throw yourself at it. Is it to relax in the face of increased stress? Is it to help you sleep? Is it out of boredom? In function, find an activity that could replace the smartphone. This can simply mean a short jog, a walk or a bike ride, a walk, cleaning up or reading a good book. So-called "mindfulness" meditation, yoga, "forest baths" or "aiki therapy" also have the virtue of helping you open up to the outside world and to your inner "universe" (in in other words, everything that the smartphone is not).

Finally, if your "addiction" to the smartphone is above all motivated by the need to stay in touch with your friends, you have no choice but to involve them in your challenge. By giving you an appointment, in real life, in real life. By leaving your phone in its trash.