Merely two decades ago, kids never thought of giving away control of their life to things (inventions) as small as a hand. Nature, fields, playgrounds, dirt, physical activity (the list goes on) are things that had a firm grip on our lives. Somehow, as generations grew (passed), humans have carved their lives successfully enough to fit almost everything in a box.
Technology has always strived on the idea of making our lives easier and to a great extent, it has achieved wonders for humanity. However, it also has an equally dark side which we tend to ignore while we aimlessly scroll down the feeds. Unlike the concept of the television premiere The Terminator, we are far behind on undergoing judgement day and that too because of an artificial intelligence coming to life.
The biggest weapon technology now holds against us is gadgets which contain stronger hardware capabilities and extensive operating systems available for the consumers in varieties of features, specifications, and sizes - smartphones, tablets, pads, notebooks etc.
Life has become so much easier with the aid of high-tech gadgets and the internet - a phone can be the solution to all problems. Most of us have been able to lead our daily lives sitting on a couch thinking we have saved time. We overlook the gradual process of caving into our homes, becoming more unsocial with the use of phones and the internet. But we have added this extension to our lives in such a way that detaching or recovering ourselves from such a phase will not only be hard but even impossible for some.
Unlike the concept of the television premiere The Terminator, we are far behind on undergoing judgement day and that too because of an artificial intelligence coming to life.
We are aware of the five basic human needs required to survive but along with that, there are some needs which are equally important to live and make the best out of our lives. Unfortunately, adults are very less affected by this whereas the number of teenagers addicted to technology is increasing drastically day by day. A report for the UN Agency says, in 2017, almost 3.6 billion people are using the internet of which 2.6 billion are from developing countries. This year around 55% of the population uses the internet for various purposes, according to the Internet World Stats.
Socializing is as important as a building block to your life as education. In today's time, a physical platform is not in use anymore. Teens use multiple social media platforms, with Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat being the most popular. According to a Pew survey conducted from 2014 till 2015, percent of teenagers go online using mobile phones and 71 percent of teens use more than one social media platform.
Facebook and such similar applications have been successful enough to board one-third of earth’s population. And one-tenth of the total are teenagers. For them, socializing means chatting and sharing emotions virtually. Most end up developing multiple personalities due to which they can’t be the same as on a virtual platform and in person.
“There was a time when kids were born with golden spoons and now they are born with gold plated iPhones.”
Moreover, there is no restriction whatsoever in terms of exchanging information through social media. Now this information can be of any form though it turns out to be photos, videos, and documents on most accounts. The continuous use of technology leads us towards facing disabilities in thinking logically and reasoning which disables us from making fair judgements and taking accurate decisions. This affects the brain at a younger age when it is on the verge of maturing which is why we often see youngsters going through a difficult teen-life only because of one rash decision.
Moving on, social media doesn’t follow a timeline, you aren’t grounded if you don’t stop using any virtual platform after 9 pm. And for the folks, it might seem important for the kids to have a phone with them 24/7 for safety purposes. This one aspect makes them overlook all the disadvantages it has. The unlimited access brings in a huge change to one’s lifestyle. Starting with changes in the sleeping habit which is good enough to bring about behavioural changes, anxiety,-withdrawal and in some cases, dependency on pharmaceuticals.
Such regular activity might seem like a common habit now which is why we tend to ignore it amongst our family but in the long run, it has a huge impact on the brain, eyes, and muscles.
All the points stated and explained above are good enough to bring in some realizations in today’s generation. Self-realization can be witnessed in some cases but in majority ones, it is the loved ones who have to step in and help their kids in fighting their way through this addiction.
