Simon Cowell has revealed that he has not used his mobile phone for 10 months in an attempt to boost his mental health and happiness.

The music mogul said the move had paid off in terms of his quality of life.

“I literally have not been on my phone for 10 months,” he told the Mail on Sunday. “The difference it made was that I became more aware of the people around me and way more focused.

“The thing I get irritated with is when you have a meeting everyone’s on their phone – and I was probably in that place too. You can’t concentrate.

“It has been so good for my mental health. It’s a very strange experience but it really is good for you and it has absolutely made me happier.”

The X Factor creator also said he limited the time his four-year-old son was allowed to spend on his iPad and instead sat with him to watch TV shows.

Cowell’s revelation comes amid mounting concerns about the effects of overuse of smartphones and a burgeoning offline movement.

A survey of 4,150 British adults by Deloitte last year found that 38% said they thought they were using their smartphones too much. Among those aged 16-24 that rose to more than half. There have been fears that habits such as checking apps in the hour before going to sleep (79% of us do this, according to the study) or within 15 minutes of waking up (55%) may be taking their toll on people’s mental health.

In responses to such concerns, apps have been launched that track how often people unlock their phones and how much time they spend using them, in order to help them reduce that time.

One of them is Hold, already used by 40% of students in Norway. The app, which offers users points for reducing their smartphone habit, which they can exchange for snacks and cinema tickets, is being rolled out to universities in the UK.

Digital detox programmes camps – already big business in China – have also been launched in the UK to help people who struggle to withdraw from the online world.