It seems like everywhere you look, you see someone or just about everyone with their eyes glued to their phone screens. It is as though nobody takes the time to just enjoy their surroundings anymore. Somebody always has to be recording or taking pictures, so they can post it on their social media platform.
I remember reading an article at school that talked about how we are all becoming “Phone Addicts” and how it is affecting our daily lives, mental health, and relationships in so many ways. Still; we continue to engage a lot of our time on our phones. I'm thankful that my professor made us read that article, and made us put our phones away during his lectures. One thing I won't forget that he said was, “ The love of your life could be sitting behind you, but you're busy on your phone and not interacting”.
While phones can serve us as a good tool in many ways, we must not be ignorant of the repercussions it brings as well. Engaging so much of your time on social media could cause so many problems with self-esteem; especially for women. The beauty ideals that are always displayed on social media just add on to the ever-growing low self-esteem many adolescent girls have and can confuse men about what an ideal woman should look like. Too much phone usage is even putting a strain on our learning abilities. Did you know that the reason we sometimes have a hard time concentrating on schoolwork has to do with our increasing addiction to our phones? Our attention spans diminish the more we engage on our phones, making us lack the skill of concentration. I now understand why adults always get on young people about always being on their cellular devices.
Next time you are hanging out with your friends, parents or family, just put your phone away. Silence them, put it on the “Do Not Disturb” mode and enjoy the time you are spending with the people that mean a lot to you. What’s the point of posting a picture of what you are eating for dinner, or the date you are on? Just enjoy the little moments and experiences life has to offer. You miss out on so much when you are trying to get appraisals from others or when you are trying to show off. Your phone can wait.