Smartout Smartphones
Smartphones are tiny gadgets that have changed the world. From Emails to movies to shopping anything we can imagine of is now just a click away
As modern technology proceeded, smartphones made their way in our daily lives, and now they are not less than our lifelines.
Due to the increasing usage of smartphones, people have started to detach from the real world and are making their virtual life, a real. Online friends have become more important than the person sitting next to them. People must realise the harmful impact of this addiction.
Nip it in the bud
The issues first get noticed in and around the personal surroundings. For me, it started from there as well when I saw one of my relative spending maximum time on his smartphone. His smartphone usage was beyond his control, and it was as if his phone had hijacked his mind. He would check his smartphone first thing in the morning, all day long, and the phone was right next to his pillow when he went to bed at night.
From here, I started to notice the addiction of people to their phones. I found so many addicts around me-my peers, people in the restaurants, people walking on the road, driving. When addicted to phone, people do not realise the number of hours they have sent with their phone or to say in the virtual world. Experts say that this behaviour is also a way for people to escape making conversations or spend time with self.
The addiction is more or less equally spread across age-groups. More I looked around with awareness; I realised that over-usage of phone or slavery to a smartphone is rampant.
From here started my journey to create awareness in the community about the overuse of their handsets. I have taken this as a project and I’ m working for the past 4-5 months on it. I have conducted several sessions in the school as well as outside for students and parents. I connected with the doctors, senior psychologist and attended courses by them to raise awareness of the rising menace.
It is essential to develop hobbies, spend time with each other, have gadget-free zones in the house to cut down on the compulsive phone usage.
Keep phones away from the dining table, and by design not go fiddle with your phone an hour before you hit the bed.
This feature was first published in the print version of SUBURB October 2019 issue.