The blue light from your phone isn't ruining your sleep For a decade, we've been told our screens are wrecking our sleep. The real culprit is far bigger than the glow from your phone.

I dug into the science and called a ton of researchers to get the truth on this. Check out my latest column for the BBC if you want to know more www.bbc.com/future/artic...

The answer is simple. GO OUTSIDE IN THE MORNING. Take a 15 min walk first thing. Then do the same around 3:00 or 4:00pm. It still works if it's cloudy. The science is very clear. This exposes you to a ton of light and limits the impact of the light you get before bed

Your phone IS ruining your sleep, but it's not the light: it's because you're doing stuff on our devices that stresses you out when you're supposed to be winding down

So what should you do, aside from closing social media before bed?

Post covid, more people work from home. You go outside less and you don't go to an office, where light is MUCH brighter than your living room because of OSHA regulations. You roll out of bed and get the same lighting all day. Your eyes can’t tell the difference b/w day and night

A bidirectional model of sleep and technology use: A theoretical review of How much, for whom, and which mechanisms The link between technology and sleep is more complex than originally thought. In this updated theoretical review, we propose a new model informed by …

A recent analysis looked at 11 blue light studies. At worst, screens only delayed sleep by a maximum of about 9 minutes So what's the deal? www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Under those conditions, a little blue throws off the total dose of light people in the studies are getting, and it ruins their internal clock. But that's not what real life is like, you don't live in a lab, and you're getting exposed to tons of light all day

This is nuanced. A lot of studies do show light from screens messing up people's sleep. But that's because scientists limit the amount of light test subjects get all day, and then blast them with light from iPad screens right before bed. Here’s the problem with that…

It turns out what really matters is the dose of light you get throughout the day. It's about contrast: less light in the evening than you get in the rest of the day

Basically, blue light counts a little more, but the total amount of light you get is the only thing to worry about

The amount of light emitted from our screens just isn't bright enough to have a meaningful effect on your sleep. 24 hours worth of light from your phone adds up to less than a minute of the light you'd get if you stand outside

So what's going on? www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/11...

And modern screens and light bulbs really are bluer! LEDs cannot produce pure white light. Instead, they use blue LEDs, and cover some of them with a yellow coating. The mix of blue and yellow mix tricks your brain into seeing white, but extra blue always leaks out.

HOWEVER…

Here's the thing. Blue light *can* mess up your sleep. There's a protein in your eyes called melanopsin. It helps regulate your sleep cycle, and it's more sensitive to blue light. Every color of light affects it. Blue just has a bigger influence

The blue light from your phone isn't ruining your sleep For a decade, we've been told our screens are wrecking our sleep. The real culprit is far bigger than the glow from your phone.

They've been lying to you about blue light

For 10 years we've heard blue light from screens is ruining our sleep. It's a great story, but it's not what the science says

The real culprit isn't the glow from your phone, and I've got real advice that could fix your sleep
www.bbc.com/future/artic...

As we’re discussing the unreal warping reality, let’s bring in The Interface, a podcast about tech and how it impacts on our lives. It’s hosted by two very American Americans – the boisterous Thomas Germain and Karen Hao – as well as the more self-effacing British investigative journalist Nicky Woolf, known for his excellent series Finding Q: My Journey into QAnon and Fur and Loathing. All three presenters are hugely well informed.

The Brits don't know what to do with our new BBC podcast The Interface, @thomasgermain.bsky.social & @nickywoolf.bsky.social.

Lovely shoutout from @observeruk.bsky.social. observer.co.uk/culture/audi...

Check us out, like, subscribe, love, rejoice, etc, etc tomgermain.com/theinterface...

After just five episodes, The Interface is now the 31st top podcast in the US, per the analytics company Rephonic

At this rate can you afford not to listen?

Yeah we had a good run

It’s so annoying right? Bluetooth has been around for 30 years? I keep fantasizing that one day it’ll start working

Could the internet be changed forever? YouTube video by BBC Podcasts

There's all kinds of wild details here. If you want to know more, we also did a deep dive on my podcast this week with @karenhao.bsky.social and @nickywoolf.bsky.social

If you listen it will make me love you
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgHY...

It's not just hipsters, we're talking about a full-blown cultural trend. People told me Bluetooth headphones make you look old

This may shock you, but a lot of people are unhappy with the constant march of "progress" being shoved down their throats

A number of people told me they think the recent trend in wired headphones is because people are longing for last era in tech they were comfortable with

Wired headphone sales are exploding. What's with the Bluetooth backlash? Is the return of wired headphones driven by a simple desire for better sound quality or is it part of a backlash against modern tech? Thomas Germain tries to find out.

Here's a weird one. Wired headphone sales are exploding right now. I dug into it for my column this week and people told me... it's because of AI??
www.bbc.com/future/artic...

People are selling your home address online. This privacy tool will help There's a free automated tool that removes information about you from Google search results. For some reason, most people don't use it.

This Google setting is probably one of the most important, easy to use online safety tool out there, and it just got even better

But most people don't know it exists! Let's change that

Find all the details in my latest for the BBC
www.bbc.com/future/artic...

Leaving your address and phone number on Google makes you a sitting duck

The thing is, most bad actors aren’t that determined

I'm not saying this gets you total privacy & peace of mind, but just a little friction can be the difference between identity theft, or something even worse

Google can't get your data off of those websites

But this information shows up in search results, and it's extremely dangerous

And in some cases, getting the data off of search results is even more important – especially when it takes almost ZERO effort

There’s a whole industry built around selling the most sensitive information about your life

Data brokers package up your phone number, address, relatives, emails and more

Anyone can buy it. Identity thieves, jealous exes, telemarketers, you name it. And it’s shockingly cheap

People are selling your home address online. This privacy tool will help There's a free automated tool that removes information about you from Google search results. For some reason, most people don't use it.

I've got 5 minute tip that could save your life. Sincerely.

Your phone number, address and social security probably show up in search results. Google has a free tool that lets you take it down

Almost nobody uses it, but you should. It's easy. Do it now:
www.bbc.com/future/artic...

Thank you ❤️

Crazy story on this week’s episode of the Interface

Is Havana Syndrome REAL? YouTube video by BBC Podcasts

Remember Havana Syndrome? In 2017 US diplomats in Cuba started mysteriously suffering brain damage after hearing a noise.

Many thought it a conspiracy theory. After investigating, @nickywoolf.bsky.social concluded it wasn't.

He was right.

This week on The Interface youtube.com/watch?v=UYVHzkq2X7Y

I hacked ChatGPT and Google's AI - and it only took 20 minutes I found a way to make AI tell you lies – and I'm not the only one.

They’ll put this on my tombstone www.bbc.com/future/artic...