You know that guilty feeling when you unlock your phone just to “check something,” and suddenly—bam!—45 minutes vanish into the vortex of TikTok dances, Instagram reels, or endless Reddit threads?

Amanda Smith is a freelance journalist and writer. She reports on culture, society, human interest and technology. Her stories hold a mirror to society, reflecting both its malaise and its beauty.

Listen to more stories on the Noa app. Want to stay current with Arthur’s writing? Sign up to get an email every time a new column comes out. Between my university lectures and outside speeches about ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. When she was 10 years old, Rose Yu got a birthday present that would change her life—and, potentially, the way we study physics. Her ...