Richard Hogan: I gave up my smartphone for 48 hours - this is how I got on

"We welcomed these devices in like a trojan horse. They have infiltrated every aspect of our life. In my experience, they have disrupted intimacy and separated children from once-loved outdoor activities."

Smart devices have been a mixed blessing for families, to say the least.

OVER the last two weeks I posed some challenges on how you live without your device? In the first week I set you a challenge; could you live without your smartphone for 48 hours? Most of those who accepted the challenge said they couldn’t. Many tried but failed. The next challenge was to live without a smartphone as a family for two hours during weeknights from 7pm to 9pm.

The premise of the challenge was to disconnect in order to reconnect. I undertook the challenges myself. And I have to say I found them difficult. The 48-hour challenge was the most difficult. It felt like something was missing. That was an uncomfortable insight into my own relationship with technology.