I was intrigued by a recent article in the OP/ED section of our newspaper, “Ten reasons to live without a smartphone.” As I read numerous studies regarding the ways in which smartphones impact relationships, this caught my attention. The author cites the high percentage of smartphone users in the 18 to 49 age bracket and then goes on to state, “This is because, like slot machines, smartphone users are addicted to the habit of pulling their device out of their pocket for the next dopamine surge that accompanies incoming texts or ‘likes.”
While the article offers ten good reasons to live without, or at least reduce, smartphone usage, I would like to examine just one of those. And this is with regard to our role as parents.
Many parents justify their excessive smartphone use because they can post pictures, thousands of them, of their “little darlings” anytime, day or not. But one has to wonder how this affects their actual relationship with those same children. As pointed out by author and Professor Jean Twenge, some children have reported that they don’t even pay attention to their families anymore as they perceive their parents as liking their phones more than actual people.
I don’t know about you, but I think if my loved ones thought my phone was more important than they are, I would be tempted to place my phone in the driveway and run the car over it. That is heartbreaking (not driving over the phone) that my child would feel that way.
Therefore, this week’s tip is a simple caution – make sure that you are connecting with real people in front of you rather than the virtual conversations in your handheld world.