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Man Who invented The Mobile Phone Says People Who Spend So Much Time On It Need To ‘Get A Life’

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Martin Cooper

The inventor of the mobile phone has suggested that people who spend too much time on the device may want to rethink their priorities.

Martin Cooper, a 93-year-old American engineer, was appearing on BBC Breakfast when he suggested people should stop scrolling and ‘get a life’.

Cooper led the team at Motorola responsbile for the development of the first ever mobile phone in the 1970s. In 1973, he became the first person in history to make a handheld cellular phone call in public.

Now widely credited as the ‘father of the cell phone’ he admitted he actually doesn’t use the device all that much.

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Mr Cooper explained during the interview that he probably spends less than 5 per cent of his time on his phone.

Martin Cooper holds up his mobile phone in Oviedo, northern Spain, October 22, 2009. Cooper and Raymond Samuel Tomlinson will be awarded the 2009 Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research at a traditional ceremony on Friday in the Asturian capital. Cooper and Tomlinson were nominated for the award in recognition of their research which led the development of the mobile phone and email respectively. QUALITY FROM SOURCE REUTERS/Felix Ordonez (SPAIN SCI TECH SOCIETY BUSINESS) - GM1E5AM1LBS01
Martin Cooper worked at Motorola in the 1970s and invented the first mobile phone. (Credits: Reuters)

When asked what he would say to those who spend upwards of five hours on theirs, he was incredulous.

‘You really spend five hours a day?’ he asked. ‘I would say “get a life!”.

How much time do we spend on our phones?

Whether keeping in touch with friends and family, doomscrolling Twitter or staying entertained with endless TikTok videos, phones are definitely an essential.

But with that said, you may still be surprised to learn that over our lifetimes we’ll spend almost a decade on our phones.

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A study by WhistleOut surveyed 1,000 American smartphone users to see just how much time we spend on our phones and the results are staggering.

Close-up shot of a young Asian woman scrolling on smartphone, managing banking online, underneath duvet in the dark.
We spend almost a decade of our lives on our phones, according to one survey.
(Credits: Getty Images)

The survey found that millennials (born 1981-1996) spend almost a quarter of their waking lives on their phones, taking up 23.1% of their day.

That figure drops to 16.5% for Generation X (born 1965- 1980) and is even lower for Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964), with 9.9% of their waking hours spent scrolling.

In the study, researchers also calculated the average number of hours a day we spend on our phones, which also varied heavily between generations.

The average screentime per day for millennials is at 3.7 hours, Gen X spend an average of 3 hours and Boomers are again the lowest at 2.5 hours.

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Close up of woman's hand using smartphone in the dark, against illuminated city light bokeh
How much time do you spend on your phone? (Credits: Getty Images)

By totting up the figures, WhistleOut were able to estimate that the average phone user, over the course of their life, will spend 8.74 years on their phones.

But they explain that, particularly for millennials who were among the first people to grow up with this technology, a lot of phone usage is down to tech-focused jobs they’re in.

Still, if you want to follow Mr Cooper’s advice and put the phone down, there are a number of ways you can try to reduce your own screen time.

Source: metro.co.uk

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Ghanaians party over Black Stars win

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An excited fan cheering the Black Stars

Massive celebrations were recorded countrywide as the Black Stars opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.

Midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi scored the only goal of the match late in the game as he shot in a decent cross from substitute Brandon Asante.

The win gave Ghana a positive start in the competition, placing them in second position behind England, also with three points but with a superior goal aggregate.

After the final whistle, the streets and other viewing centres were turned into partying grounds as fans, mostly clad in the team’s paraphernalia, danced to several World Cup-themed music.

Others blew the vuvuzelas in joyous mood with others putting up a spirited ‘jama’ session.

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Akosua Manu calls on NPP to reject entitlement and unite ahead of 2028 elections

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Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Manu, has urged party members to move away from what she describes as an “entitlement mentality” and focus on unity, sacrifice and hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general election.

In a statement titled “Is Loyalty a Queue?”, and posted on facebook, Ms. Manu argued that loyalty to the NPP should not be judged by how long a person has been in the party but by their contributions and commitment to its growth.

According to her, the NPP’s history shows that many of its leaders faced significant opposition from within the party before eventually leading it to electoral success.

She cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, saying he had to overcome resistance from influential figures within the party before winning power for the NPP in 2000.

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Ms. Manu noted that after the party lost power in 2008, former President Kufuor faced criticism and accusations from some party members.

However, she said supporters eventually put their differences aside and worked together to rebuild the party.

She pointed to the experience of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, according to her, faced opposition from some factions within the NPP despite his long service to the party.

“His trials were ten times what Kufuor endured,” she stated, adding that Akufo-Addo eventually overcame the challenges and became President of Ghana.

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Turning to the NPP’s current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ms. Manu said he also faced resistance from different groups within the party while seeking leadership.

She praised Dr. Bawumia for contributing to policy-based political discussions in Ghana and for remaining composed following the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections.

According to her, party members must now rally behind him in the same way they supported former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo.

Ms. Manu, however, warned that internal divisions and a sense of entitlement remain major threats to the party’s future.

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She argued that some party members place too much emphasis on how long individuals have belonged to the NPP rather than on their contributions and capabilities.

“This entitlement does not question impact. It does not ask what you sacrificed or what you built. It asks only how long have you been here,” she said.

The former parliamentary candidate cautioned that such attitudes could discourage committed members and prevent the party from selecting the best people for leadership positions.

She further called on the party’s incoming national executives to strengthen the NPP’s core values of sacrifice, honesty, integrity and dedication to national development.

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Ms. Manu addressed the concerns of young party supporters, many of whom she said became discouraged following the NPP’s electoral defeat in 2024.

According to her, many young people remain eager to see the party return to power but are unwilling to support internal conflicts driven by personal ambitions.

She urged party elders to place the interests of the NPP above their individual goals and to demonstrate leadership that attracts rather than alienates members.

“The NPP is bigger than any one of us. It always has been. Our collective responsibility is to act like it,” she stated.

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By: Jacob Aggrey

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