Are We Becoming Prisoners To Our Phones

Posted on Aug 01, 2020 by Nidhi Agrawal (Co-founder, Director & Trainer)

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I was deeply intrigued by pavement art on the sidewalks of an Ahmedabad road. Of particular interest was a painting where the artist had depicted three Indian Gods but their images were with a difference. They all held smart phones in their hands and were preoccupied with them. Without going into the ethics of such a painting, which some would call silly and others even blasphemous, I found it amusing albeit a little disconcerting. It found me asking myself, have electronic devices invaded every aspect of our life. The simple answer is... it has.

How often do we find ourselves checking our phones for messages even as we are talking to other people? Observe any queue, be it waiting for a bus, in a bank or at the airport. Almost all of them will be preoccupied with their cell phones. The moment we get up in the morning, don't we first look at the messages? Isn't it common for each family member to be busy online in separate rooms? Some even messaging each other in adjoining rooms? Don't we fret at the thought that you may not be able to charge your phone for some reason? Go to any restaurant and you will find a majority of the parents paying more attention to their phones than to their children. Often you will see a small beam of light emanating from your child's bedroom at one in the morning. Are we getting addicted to it and is it right to do so.

The equations have changed. The sense of appropriateness is modified, the modalities of human interaction has undergone a sea change. The daily life and soft skills have accommodated the screens in our lives, I fear irreversibly. To add to the technology, maya has descended deep in our psyche through social media and chatting-video software. The goal posts have changed drastically. The expectations, ambitions, goals, morality, methodology have gone digital. The devil has easy access to us. And we are willingly getting consumed by it.

To a liberalist it may sound regressive and they may even debate that technology is far more useful as compared to the bullock cart days of wired phones. Yes it is. Had there been no benefit of it, it won't have grown on us so much. Everything does have its pros and cons. Any innovation will have a great use, general use and sheer misuse. No points for guessing how much internet traffic goes for what kind of use. The good use of technology in proportion to its misuse is similar to the statement that all politicians are not dishonest. Some are good ones. And we all know how many.

Often with the free will humans have in almost all aspects of life, knowledge and power can become a bane or a boon. A scalpel in the hands of a monkey or a surgeon can mean entirely different things. The technology is cheap, easily accessible and rampantly applied. The masses are experimenting with it and getting enslaved. The very fabric of mankind has changed forever.

Just like the wall art unleashed a chain of thought within me, it also brought back memories of the time in restaurant where I was delighted to see a young couple chatting away merrily and their toddler sitting opposite them quietly. A closer inspection revealed that the tot was swiping a cell phone screen with his little finger and did not take his eyes off the phone, even when the mother put a spoonful of food in his mouth.

The number of devices and varieties of digital media has literally exploded over the last few years. Parents and teachers are mostly unaware about the impact these devices have on our children. Of course they are much needed apparatus in these modern times, especially in the realm of education that has almost totally shifted online, given the Corona pandemic. However, over exposure can lead to mental and health issues and often results in very little social engagement which retards the growth of the child.

The world today is wired. There is new technological innovation virtually on a daily basis. Communication is available on our finger tips, no matter which end of the globe you live in. Information that earlier could be garnered only from books and encyclopedias can be ‘googled' in a jiffy. So in that sense we can call ourselves the lucky generation. They have opened up many hitherto closed avenues for friends and families, for business people to connect, engage and bond. But it is very important that we do not allow these to integrate into our lives so intricately that we become bonded to it.

Everybody knows about the harmful effects of getting addicted to the cell phone and other similar appliances. It is not limited to just children but also adults. The so called sensible adults make adjustments and clarifications to justify the slavery. Leaving the adults for another day let us see how we can correct the future course of our generations. Isn't it a fact that Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, did not let his children use any screen till they were at least 12?

So I will instead tell you how to monitor your child's habits and help him or her make the transition to better more constructive and healthier habits. Your correction in the course of the river today may save the future generations.

• To make the switch easier, create a list of alternate activities.
• Participate in those activities with your children leaving your cell phones.
• There should be absolutely no screen time for toddlers and kids under the age of five.
• Children between the age of five and ten should not be permitted more than an hour on the phone, that too only if necessary.
• At least for two hours before bedtime screens should be strictly avoided.
• No phones or TV screens during meal times including adults.
• Make sure the phone does not take the place of adequate sleep, physical activity and other behaviors essential to health.
• Parental control function and supervision to be strongly implemented till they are at least 15.

Remember our children are precious and vulnerable to falling prey to these distractions. They must be safeguarded from these technological enticements that promise much but deliver little. Screen entrancement is a pleasing distraction, but it is only that. We – and our beloved children – deserve better.