AIBU to ask what's the difference?

[Hurstlandshome]

I'm always on my phone. I have 3 newspaper apps, Instagram, and mumsnet. My phone is almost always in my hand and I hate it and feel enormously guilty for always being on it.

Why would reading 3 physical newspapers feel different? Or instead of watching a few videos on Instagram, watching an episode of something on the TV?
Aren't they the same thing, just a different medium?

Does anyone else feel the same, or done a phone detox? I want to get away from it.

I think there are a few factors. Two things that spring immediately to mind:

Your eye muscles work differently reading across the width of a newspaper and up and down its length rather than just focusing on the small screen space, and you have bigger movements of your head, arms, etc as well.

Having a TV on or newspaper in front of you can invite a shared experience if others are around- you are more approachable than if you are focussing on a tiny personal device, and they can sit down and watch too or pick up another section of the newspaper without it being or feeling so intrusive to either of you.

Newspapers and books encourage longer concentration spans. At the moment I'm trying to reduce my phone use (and read more books) but the compromise is listening to a lot of podcasts while doing something else. I feel better for it.

And speaking of which, I'm putting this phone down NOW!