Imagine this: You wake up one beautiful sunny morning and your cell phone is broken. You can’t text. You can’t make a call. Horror of horrors, it is TOTALLY busted.
Do you:
a. demand that your little sister give you HER phone until you get a replacement?
b. break out into hives worrying about all the text messages you’re missing?
c. bawl your eyes out? It’s like you’ve lost your right arm.
d. feel so lonely that you start trying to text with your pillow?
If you answered yes to any (or all) of those options, there’s a good chance that technology is taking over your life. You’re not alone.
A NORMAL PART OF LIFE
The average teenager spends more than 53 hours a week in front of a screen—nearly eight hours every day. That’s more time than you spend at school—maybe even more time than you sleep.
Teenagers today consume monumental amounts of information. It’s now a normal part of life. You have Facebook for chatting and sharing photos. You have your cell phone for games and texts. You have your computer and your iPod for browsing, streaming movies, and listening to music. Maybe you have an Xbox or a PS3.
And don’t forget your TV. If you happen to miss an episode of Family Guy because you’re mesmerized by cat videos on YouTube, no problem. You can catch it later on Hulu.
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
The things technology enables you to do—stay busy, be informed, connect with friends—these are good things. Right?
Hundreds of researchers in America’s top universities are hard at work trying to answer that question. Some are even devoting their careers to studying what all of this means.
One of the biggest questions they are asking is, when does spending hours and hours watching TV or playing World of Warcraft stop being fun and normal—and become dangerous?
And what does the answer mean for you?
A Delicate Balance
Studies show that screen time does have its advantages. It can make you a good multitasker. Certain types of video games can build your reflexes and even improve your vision.
But there is a dark side. Studies also show that teens who spend excessive time—more than 16 hours a day—in front of a screen are much more likely to get lower grades. They are also more likely to feel depressed and become obese (very fat).
Part of the problem is that devices have a way of gaining power over kids. Some kids can’t seem to turn them off, even when they have other things to do. Does that describe you?
Consider this: Does it take you three hours to do three math problems because you are video chatting, playing Angry Birds, and downloading new Drake songs at the same time?
How about your chores? Do you forget to feed the dog because you just have to watch one more rerun of The Office?
And what about the people you care about? Technology allows you to stay in constant touch with friends and family—even those who live far away. On the other hand, you might be missing out on the relationships in your own home. Maybe your parents are always begging you not to use your cell phone at the dinner table. Or perhaps you’ve stopped shooting hoops with your little brother because you are spending every waking minute playing Call of Duty.
If any of this sounds familiar, you might have a problem.
Instead of enhancing your life, technology might be getting in the way. It’s a delicate balance, and ultimately, it’s up to you to achieve it. Here’s one way to prove that YOU are in charge of your technology: The next time your phone buzzes, turn it off.
Then go for a nice stroll in the sunshine.
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