Americans spent more time using their cell phones and watching TV last year than ever before, according to new time use data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average US adult will spend 3 hours and 43 minutes on mobile devices daily in 2019, just above the 3 hours and 35 minutes spent on TV. While a recent Deloitte survey found the average American checks their phone 47 times a day.
Study after study is starting to show that our screen time habits can have a pretty negative impact on our focus and attention. We become distracted in the workplace and in our relationships. A study published in Computers in Human Behavior found that this increase in screen time creates conflict and decreases a partner’s levels of reported relationship satisfaction.
Communication technology was introduced as a way to bring people closer together, you could talk to anyone, anywhere in the world very quickly and never have to lose contact with anyone. It sounds fantastic but problems arise when we are talking to someone miles away from us while ignoring the people who are surrounding us. Friends hanging out today could just be people using their technology in close proximity and it is becoming a growing trend among young people. It’s almost as if out phone has become our closest, most personal best friend in the world. We use it whenever we don’t want to deal with whatever is around us and almost as a means of escape. Why say “hello” to the person walking down the hallway when you can just retreat to the safety of your phone? Why even bother trying to reach out to strangers in a class when you can just ignore them and sink into your social media feed.
Social settings today are growing more into a bunch of isolated people documenting their experience as opposed to a setting where you meet a new person and try to learn about them. This trend in poor communication among young people is continually growing worse and will not stop until we decide, as a whole, to make change.
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