Virgin Media O2’s new Digital Wellbeing strategy: here’s how it’s helping you take back control of your time online

We’ve all been there. You pick up your phone to check one thing, and 45 minutes later, you’re watching a video about someone reorganising their kitchen cupboards and you’re not entirely sure how you got there and why it’s now dark outside. It happens to all of us. And according to major new research, it’s happening a lot more than we realise.

Today, we are launching our new Digital Wellbeing strategy – a long-term, holistic approach to helping people have greater control of their time online. It’s backed by a landmark study into UK smartphone and digital device habits, our new Digital Wellbeing Manifesto and two genuinely useful tools you can try right now, plus the establishment of a major five-year study of digital wellbeing with the University of Cambridge. 

At the heart of the new strategy is our Digital Wellbeing Manifesto – a long-term commitment to supporting healthier, more intentional relationships with technology.

It has five core principles: embedding fundamental rights into technology, making responsible product decisions, giving people greater control over their digital lives, supporting a healthier balance between online and offline experiences, and driving wider progress through research, partnerships and education.

Alongside our manifesto, we are funding the establishment of a major five-year study of digital wellbeing with the University of Cambridge, known as the Digital Wellbeing Observatory. This will track how the UK public is using technologies (including generative AI) and their effects on health and wellbeing, through a multi-year programme of surveys and community roadshows.

But this isn’t a campaign. It’s a sustained, structural commitment to approaching digital wellbeing from both a user and a system perspective – because as the research behind it makes clear, changing habits isn’t just about individual effort. It requires changes to the systems and environments people engage with every day.

Our manifesto is backed by a comprehensive study of UK digital habits. A year-long study commissioned by Virgin Media O2, engaging more than 6,000 people at its peak, has found the average person in the UK is on track to spend 4.7 years of their waking life on their device without any clear purpose – doomscrolling, flicking between apps, responding to notifications that didn’t really need responding to. That amounts to around one hour and 26 minutes every single day of unintentional device use.

More than a third (36%) of all daily device use now takes place without a clear purpose. And the effects are tangible. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of people in the UK report at least one negative outcome linked to their device use. For the estimated 14 million Brits who spend more than half their device time without clear intent, those effects are considerably worse: 41% report poor sleep linked to device use, 23% say their attention span has shortened and 61% admit they’re not fully present in real-life moments – time with loved ones, live events – because of their devices.

One in three people (37%) say they’re addicted to their phones. More than two in five (41%) say willpower alone isn’t enough to change that. And crucially, the research suggests they’re right – this isn’t simply a personal failing.

So, what can you do right now? Our strategy wouldn’t be complete without practical help for people who want to change something today. So, we have launched two tangible tools to back up our manifesto – and both are free.

O2 scroll stopper

We know that data and good intentions only go so far, so we’ve also launched something with a bit more, ahem, spice behind it: the O2 scroll stopper.

You’re doomscrolling. You know you’re doomscrolling. You want someone to tell you to take a break. So, you sign up, schedule a callback via WhatsApp, and Mel B rings you to do exactly that – in her own inimitable, no-nonsense style.

Yep. That Mel B. Scary Spice herself.

As Mel puts it: “We’ve all fallen into the trap of repeatedly checking our phones and staying on them without even thinking about what we’re doing, but I’m helping the nation to put a big stop to that! 

“I’m a massive advocate for taking a break from my device and that’s why I’ve partnered with O2 to give you that much-needed nudge to get away from a screen, to look up and get back to the good stuff happening right in front of you. And if I have to give you a bit of a telling-off to do it, well, that’s why they call me Scary – but you know it’s because I care.”

Thanks to the service, you can schedule a call featuring a pre-recorded message from Mel. You can expect a variety of messages delivered in Mel’s signature style, featuring playful reminders to take a breather and reclaim your time from the scroll. It’s the device intervention you didn’t know you needed, from exactly the right person to deliver it.

You can try the O2 scroll stopper now by sending a WhatsApp message to 07868 289802 or clicking the button below. By participating you agree that O2 can use your personal data to receive a call back from the O2 scroll stopper at the time you request. Find out more in O2’s Privacy Policy.

The Digital Intentionality Score

Developed in partnership with author and digital wellbeing expert Seyi Akiwowo, the Digital Intentionality Score is a free, 10-question interactive tool that helps you understand how intentionally you’re using your device. Answer honestly, and you’ll get a personalised score out of 100 – the national average is 63, with higher scores representing more intentional use – along with a behavioural profile and practical, tailored advice to help you build healthier digital habits over time.

The tool draws on both real usage data and self-reported habits to give you a genuinely useful picture. With 44% of people in the UK saying they’d welcome support to manage their device use, it’s the obvious place to start.