It saddens me whenever I see families or friends gathered together with hearts and attention still pretty much stolen away by our digital gadgets. And yes, I use the personal pronoun “our”, because I myself have been caught red-handed too many times. Since the dawn of the digital era, technology was meant to ease our lives. It was meant to be the secondary function of our lives. However, we humans are increasingly devoid of the ability to interact because of the apparent comforts that technological gadgets provide. I agree, sometimes it is easier to delve into the virtual realms of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram than to speak to the person right in front of you. To this, I often come up with excuses by telling myself that I need a break from interacting. Signs of introversion? Maybe. But my conscience knows that perhaps, a new dangerous addiction has gotten the grip on me and a rehabilitation process is much needed. And for those of you out there who can clearly identify with me, here are 3 tips to get your attention off those gadgets:
1. Flip them over or leave them at home
Push notifications can be very tempting. Flip that mobile phone over so you do not see them. Better still, leave your gadgets at home if you absolutely do not need to bring them out.
2. To the parents: do not hand the gadgets over to your toddlers
39% of children aged 2- to 4-years-old and 52% of kids aged 5 to 8 have used an iPad, iPhone or similar touch-screen device to play games, watch videos or use other apps, according to a survey conducted last year by Common Sense Media, a San Francisco-based non-profit group. Although this article talks about how the use of these devices could positively impact your child, such as improvements in vocabulary and faster thought process, these claims are still pretty much not proven by science at all. And even though some parents believe that the non-response from these young children when called is a result of intense concentration, this could also warn about the onset of gaming addictions. So just to play it safe, we should all probably return to traditional game boards.
3. Plan engaging outings
If doing the above seem to be too difficult, why not try these fun family night ideas out? Kill two birds in one stone, as you remove the tech addictions and build deeper, stronger bonds with your family and friends.
Let us all work towards making technology our friendly assistant and not our attention-grabber once again!
Technically human: 3 simple tips to stay away from the dangers of technology – Click To Tweet
Read also: Why I deleted my Facebook mobile app
