Screen Addiction?
My kids are growing up in a different world than I did. Think about life before the internet. And now think about life before smart phones.
Our daily activities were different when we were kids, weren’t they? When I was a small child, the only screen we had was television. And that was hard to get addicted to with only 3 channels and an antenna on the roof. Technology changed dramatically between the time my oldest was a toddler and my youngest was a toddler. We had a computer with games for our older children, but there were no touch screens. Now smart phones and tablets are commonplace. I see children in strollers playing on tablets while their parents walk!
I personally love and benefit from much of the technology in the information age in which we live. I enjoy being able to almost instantly find out the answer to a random obscure question. (We have a lot of those.) I am able to work from home and homeschool my children all because of the internet. I’m extremely grateful for that.
But we as a society have a problem.
We’ve become addicted to our phones and not connected enough with real, live people. Even without meaning to, we pick up our phones and look at them INSTEAD of looking at our family and friends. Even when they’re talking TO US. It’s become such a habit that we pick up our phones and start scrolling without even thinking of it.
However, there is help for screen addiction. To start with, I recommend reading Calm, Cool, and Connected.
Calm, Cool, and Connected: A Review
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not compensated for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.
When I received the invitation to review Calm, Cool, and Connected by Arlene Pellicane, this was the opening paragraph of the invitation.
Do you ever find yourself mindlessly scrolling through social media, sometimes late into the night? Or maybe you’re prone to answer “just one more text,” even though your child is desperately waiting to speak with you. Perhaps your phone is the first thing you reach for in the morning, a Netflix binge is on your nightly agenda, and you’ve caught yourself texting at red lights. Has technology taken over your life?
I read that and knew immediately that I needed to read this book!
Calm, Cool, and Connected is a short, quick, and easy to read book. It is structured around the acronym HABIT.
H – Hold Down the Off Button
A – Always Put People First
B – Brush Daily: Live with a Clean Conscience
I – I Will Go Online with Purpose
T – Take a Hike
Making Changes
Though it is easy to read, it is not easy to implement. It has challenged me to make changes in my use of technology. I have caught myself repeatedly not looking up from my phone or computer when my kids have come to me with a question. I was unaware of this behavior before reading the book. There should always be a reason for going on-line. Without a specific purpose, I will get sucked into social media. I have been convicted about how much time that I waste looking at social media and playing games on my phone. I talk about how busy I am and use being tired as an excuse for not getting more work done, but I have a lot more time to be productive than I was admitting. If I don’t want to use my spare time to be more productive, I can use it to truly relax. Playing on my phone is NOT relaxing.
If you or your family struggle with screen addiction, I highly recommend reading Calm, Cool, and Connected. I think you’ll be glad you did!
Calm, Cool, and Connected is available at ChristianBook.com and other major booksellers.
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