Dr Harry Barry: When you give a child a smartphone you're giving a ticket to the Red Light District

If the pandemic taught us anything, it is that we need people and relationships to survive and thrive. Dr Harry Barry talks to Marjorie Brennan about his new book which examines the power of emotional connection in an increasingly isolated world

Dr Harry Barry: 'I’ve been saying for years that no child should get a smartphone before 13, and I remember being literally laughed out of it 10 years ago.' Pictures: Moya Nolan

As Joni Mitchell sang, you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone — when the pandemic struck and we were living in literal bubbles, we all realised the value of human connection and relationships. Whether Covid is in the rear-view mirror is still a matter for debate, but in many ways we are definitely not out the other side. With rates of depression and anxiety continuing to rise, many experts have warned that the issue of social isolation has been exacerbated by successive lockdowns. It is a topic that is close to Dr Harry Barry’s heart. The Drogheda-based GP is respected for his holistic approach to mental health, which he has written about in several best-selling books. In his latest, The Power of Connection, he outlines how to improve our communication skills and establish fulfilling relationships which in turn will benefit our wellbeing.

According to Barry, increasing social anxiety has had an impact on how we interact with others. One of the main contributing factors is our increasing reliance on smartphones and social media over face-to-face contact. He is alive to the irony that at a time when we have never been more connected in terms of technology, we have never been more disconnected from each other.