Practicing Good Technology Habits
Everyone seems to be worrying about how much screen time kids and teens are getting each day, but what about how much screen time adults are getting? You can become addicted to your phone the same way you can get addicted to nicotine, alcohol, shopping, caffeine, etc.
Because using technology is so normalized, if not a crucial part of surviving the 21st century, we tend to look over the signs of addiction, which include:
- When a person uses their cell phone most of the time
- Unable to cut back on cell phone usage
- Using cell phones as a solution to boredom
- Feeling anxiety or depression when your phone is out of your range
- Losing your real-life relationships.
Fear not, not all hope is lost if you are willing to put in the hard work it takes to break the addiction. There are several small steps you can choose to make daily that can significantly help break the attachment between you and your mobile device.
Cell phones and social media apps are designed to get you to stay online as long as possible. From showing you content that you love, and content you love to hate, to sending you as many notifications as possible to grab your attention. From the latest world-crumbling, heart-shattering breaking news to the latest celebrity gossip, it’s normal to feel like you have whiplash while scrolling through your timeline.
Here are some ways you can lessen your screen time daily:
- Remove notifications and alerts on social media apps
- Evaluate your ‘following’ list and contacts, and unfollow those that invite negative emotions
- Wait at least an hour, if not two, after waking up to check social media
Summer is here, and that means you can spend more time with outside activities than actively on your phone. For safety reasons, it can seem hard to ditch your phone completely, but if you feel the need to have it on you don’t check it every two seconds.
If you are spending time with your friends and family this summer, try your best to stay present with them and engage in conversation. People do get offended when you are constantly on your phone instead of actively listening, whether or not they admit it.
There is plenty to do in the summer, but it can be more beneficial for you to get engaged in your local community! For example, in Des Moines, IA (where Rock Digi is based) there are farmers’ markets every day of the week, except for Sundays. There is the Des Moines Arts Festival coming up, and plenty of other events to attend. Who knows maybe you could even volunteer somewhere with your newfound free time.
Make this your best summer yet by becoming engaged in the community and world around you. Stay safe of course, have your phone on you, and take note of covid precautions and protocols, but it is okay to make eye contact every once in a while!
Having real, in-person relationships is what everyone was missing during the pandemic, and now is our chance to rebuild those relationships and sharpen up our relationship skills, however rusty they might be.
Rock Digi has lessons for kids spanning from second grade through high school that help with relationship skills from having empathy, to accepting others, to building healthy relationships with real friends.
Visit rockdigi.org for more information and free trial lessons.
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Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6449671/