Grace Massoud wrote this article in MTV Website:

 

I’m a big fan of Apple, huge. Always have been since I got the MacBook in University back in 2005 if I’m not mistaken. It’s a marvelous, elegant and sleek brand. They’ve really made a name for themselves with the iPhone, where people from around the globe prefer it to any other smartphone. 

The release of the new iPhone 15 and the fanfare it has created got me thinking: we are all eternally grateful that we have so much information literally at our fingertips. However, is anyone else noticing the rising diseases the smartphone and its endless distractions have spread.

 

First of all, nothing increases social anxiousness like a device one uses to escape uncomfortable situations. One needs to learn how to operate in a social setting without having an escape route when the conversation is not going as planned or where there is dis-ease. Being glued to your phone promotes depression because power lies in the present moment and when you’re constantly distracted, awareness diminishes and you lose touch with reality. It has become a crutch for the weak, an easy escape instead of living fully in the present and learning how to deal with all social interactions and all sorts of circumstances no matter how uncomfortable. That is just part of being a well-adjusted human being.

 

Adding insult to serious injury, phones are being chucked at kids from a very young age to let parents get some rest during the day. It is no easy task bringing up children, especially if you don’t have help around the house, I get it believe me. 

 

Juggling a fulltime job while raising children and taking care of household chores is overwhelming to most people no matter how organized and balanced they may be. We need to figure out how to limit screen time to as little as possible if we truly care about the intelligence, growth and overall wellbeing of kids. Play mentally stimulating games with them, buy them some toys to keep them busy whilst avoiding numbing their brains. Get them playing outside with other children, in the dirt. Let them eat dirt while you’re at it!

 

Kicking things up a notch, when has it become socially acceptable to look away from the person talking to you and check something on your phone, or respond to someone else on it. It is a sign of disrespect and of poor manners to be engaged in conversation or having a meal with someone, and constantly checking your phone. The device needs to be put away and the focus on the now, what is going on in real time. There are always exceptions of course, like when you’re working on a business deal of the utmost urgency. What’s more, the distractions on the smartphone are endless and they were created to catch the user’s attention and keep it. Notifications can be muted and a conscience effort to avoid checking them every five minutes should be put in if we plan on getting anything done, and done well during the day, whether work or learning or family and friends’ time. 

 

In addition, the sounds should be muted as well for common decency. No one is obligated to hear your phone dings and voice notes. Sound pollution is a thing people. Give me individuals who still know how to be respectful towards others and use phones to their advantage not letting them control their lives, their brains and take over their reality.

 

Decorum needs to be reinstated and a Phone Manners Course taught in universities, who’s with me?