People who work in the technology sector are increasingly paying attention to the potential downsides of their work, Information School Professor David Levy said in an interview with Zeit Online, a German website.

“Smartphones and apps on them are extremely useful in everyday life, but they can also be harmful. We need these devices, yet they are problematic,” Levy said in a Q&A with the website.

Levy was asked whether social media companies and other app providers can be expected to be mindful of their potential harm when they have a financial incentive to prompt users to keep coming back.

“I do not know if it is possible for these companies to tame their hunger for profit or to come up with a new business model. The good news — and I really do not want to sound cynical — is that this is what people are talking about right now and tech people are asking themselves this question as well,” Levy said. 

Levy’s 2016 book, “Mindful Tech,” encourages readers to bring balance to their lives by reducing stress-inducing digital distractions.

Read the full interview at Zeit Online. Google Translate offers a close approximation for those who don’t speak German.