Technology Overload

I used to tell my kids that watching too much TV will make their brain turn to mush.  I wonder what parents are telling their kids these days when it comes to their devices.  Keeping kids off technology is next to impossible.  I applaud every parent who is trying to do so, especially during Covd where, a year later we are still stuck in our homes — and increasingly stuck behind our screens.  

We must be flexible enough to evolve with the technology but choose how to use it right. Apple is hands down, my favourite company in the world.  It has made our lives better, easier, and more efficient and we cannot overstate how useful these devices are.  Yet for every plus there is a minus. When we spend too much time on our phone, we miss what’s happening in front of us and lose connection with our surroundings.  The average screen time in 2020 was 7 hours a day.  Technology overload is detrimental to a person’s mind. Establish some “house rules”. Be present with others. Observe the world around you and let your mind wander.  Your brain will thank you.

These online platforms were designed to addict us.  As someone who has struggled with ADHD and moderation I can tell you, they did a great job.  Since the inception of social media suicide rates have been rising. There will be a flood of internet disorders in years to come. More drugs are taken to quiet the mind than to heal the body. The surveillance and tracking are kind of creepy too.  Did we sign up for this?  Did our kids sign up for this?  I’m optimistic that people are becoming more aware of these attempts to control us. To paraphrase a famous quote, “No one on their deathbed will say, I wish I had spent more time on my phone.”

Technology should improve your life, not become your life.  Am I the only one?

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