I recently found a quote that said, “The magic behind childhood wasn’t because I was a child, it was because I was more present.” Now every time I pick up my phone to scroll, I think twice.
It’s a generally agreed-upon statement that we all wish we could go back to our childhoods, or that “life was just so much simpler back then.” What substantial difference made then so much better than now? What is the true reason we are so inclined to idealize our childhoods?
Many say it’s just the harsh reality of growing up and adapting to the burdensome responsibilities that come with adulthood. Some pin the blame on the psychological power of selective memory and nostalgia. I don’t buy it.
When was the last time you sat down at a meal where no one touched their phone? How about the last time you hung out with your friends and didn’t worry about your notifications or, better yet, just left your phone alone altogether?
Walks to class are rarely free from almost running into someone whose face is glued to their screen or nearly running into someone because your own eyes are too focused on the pocket-sized addiction constantly begging for your attention. You may be noticing a pattern here, one that is both deeply disconcerting and, in all honesty, severely depressing.
Over 50% of people ages 13 to 28 have admitted to being addicted to their phones, with a Harmony Healthcare IT study showing an average screen time of 6 to 7 hours a day. This number doesn’t even include the time we spend looking at other screens, such as our computers, iPads and TV screens, which is over 9 hours a day. Last year, the American Psychological Association found teenagers spend around five hours daily on social media, with nearly half of the most frequent social media users reporting mental health struggles like anxiety and depression.
Mental health is at an all-time low, and it is no coincidence. Comparison is a silent instigator, pushing us into a trap of comparing ourselves to how others portray themselves on a screen, such as the stranger who somehow travels full-time with a passport full of stamps from all the places you’d rather be than where you are sitting and scrolling. Nonetheless, we rarely talk about it.
We have become desensitized to a disconnected and dissatisfied world. How can we escape the addiction to technology and social media –designed to foster a society dependent on it?
If we are ever going to obtain a glimpse of the joy we experienced in our childhoods, we must expose ourselves to the threats of our technologically advanced world. We must train ourselves to see the lure of technology as an attack on our well-being, our intelligence, our creativity and –arguably most importantly –our connection with people.
Actively deciding how to spend our time can make all the difference, whether it be trying a new hobby, learning about something that feeds your mind and soul or putting your phone down long enough to have a meaningful conversation with a friend.
The plethora of choices can scare us back into anxious reliance on our devices, which have asserted control over our time that may otherwise be spent doing the things that make us human.
Embrace the humanity that lies in disconnecting from our devices and reconnecting with our surroundings. Only then can we fully experience and appreciate the world around us, the people within it and ourselves.
Kendall O’Connor is a UF English junior.
