We often feel helpless against the addictive design of modern technology, which can have a harmful impact on our mental health.

Years ago, when I had more free time, I played a video game called *Dreamfall*. It was set in a dystopian future where millions of people were hooked on a virtual reality headset called the “dream console.” In this world, people were so addicted that they would become lost in their virtual fantasies. The game showed them standing still or swaying slightly, totally absorbed in an alternate reality while the real world passed them by.

These days, I can’t help but be reminded of that game when I walk around cities like London. I see so many people frozen mid-step or even halfway through a meal, their eyes glued to the glowing screens in their hands. It’s as if they’ve paused their lives, sucked into a digital world that holds their attention far more than what’s happening around them. It feels eerily similar to those dream console addicts from the game, trapped in their own little bubbles.

We’ve become like statues in a modern-day Pompeii, caught in moments of distraction that are increasingly becoming the norm.