Chloe, 28, sits in her Manchester flat in the quiet of the evening, phone in hand, scrolling without purpose. A dress appears. She taps. A lamp. She taps again. A skincare set she does not need sits in her basket before she has fully decided to buy it.
In the moment, it feels small. Even comforting. But later, when the parcels arrive, the feeling shifts. The short lift is gone. In its place is guilt and a familiar urge to avoid checking her bank balance at all. She earns £32,000 a year. Yet she is now £8,000 in credit card debt spread across three cards, paying only the minimum each month.
