Everywhere you look, people on their phones. Whether that be talking on the phone in a Weis Supermarket, texting people as they walk through the park, doomscrolling at a red light, or taking pictures to post later, no one is ever far from their cell phone.
People’s screen times often reflect this truth. 50.4% of teenagers aged 12-17 have over 4 hours of screen time, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). This is the reality we are living in today. This statistic does not account for the time spent on screens in school and only scratches the surface of just how many screens teenagers are surrounded by and interacting with on a daily basis.
This culture of screen time that is fostered from school and society has a detrimental impact on how teenagers interact with each other and the world beyond their screens.
Outside of phone screen time, teenagers are also consumed by the screens on their school devices, such as Chromebooks. These devices are used numerous times throughout the school day for assignments and research and then often used even more at home for homework. This time combined with phone usage means that the majority of a teenager’s day is spent on a screen of some form.
Cell phones and technology can be a wonderful thing. Texting and Facetime calls can connect us with people around the world. I use my phone to keep in touch with my friends outside of school who I don’t see on a day-to-day basis. On the flip side, access to technology can also be a negative thing. Social media and online games give us ways to completely disconnect from the world for any amount of time. Sometimes it’s nice to get a break. I’ll play Block Blast on my phone or scroll Instagram for a few minutes when I have free time. But the issue arises when these things become all-consuming— when we are so focused on the things happening in our little pocket computers that we become completely out of touch with the real world.
We are living in the digital age, with endless amounts of knowledge at the tips of our fingers. This can be amazing. It is easier than ever to find things out with a quick Google search or chat with an Artificial Intelligence bot. We as an international community are more connected than ever. But with these abilities, we are also living in a disconnected society.
Our phones become an escape from any conflict or struggle or awkward moment that arises in real life. I’m guilty of this. When I don’t want to think about something, I turn to my phone first. When I’m standing awkwardly with classmates before the bell rings, I bury my nose in my screen to hide. I’ve seen it happen not only with me, but within my community too. Everywhere I look, I see people using the endless noise to drown out their own thoughts. I see people posing to take pictures of themselves doing good things for others or being in nature, all for the perfect TikTok or Facebook post. I see people watching YouTube videos about places to visit when their own real world is right outside their window, waiting to be explored.
People are so focused on their online presence — their next post, their next story, the perfect Snapchat filter for a picture — that they miss out on the amazing things happening around them. They forget about their friends in favor of followers, their responsibilities in favor of reactions. This obsession with our online personas begins to have an effect on our real world relationships. It’s almost like we forget how to interact with one another beyond the safety of an anonymous account and a keyboard, beyond the familiarity of emojis and reposts.
I’m not saying we should do away with technology and phones entirely. No matter how good something is, there are always drawbacks. Phones are brilliant inventions that connect people who would have never connected otherwise.
This may be the standard, but it doesn’t have to remain this way. We can make a change. It can be as simple as putting down our phones and talking to the people around us. As easy as living in the moment instead of in the internet.
