My best Friend can be updated
Is the fight against mobile phone addiction futile? And is mobile phone dependence just the unavoidable progression of technology in the digital age?
A large percentage of our children spend less time than an hour a day outside. Yes, I know, I can hear many of you thinking, ‘we spent much longer playing outside when we were young” and most of the time it was voluntary. Even, the UN recommends a minimum of one hour of fresh air for prisoners.
However, our children can meet their friends online and if their friends are not available, they can engage in other activities with their next best pal - their mobile phone.
You have to admit that it really is a remarkable invention and it’s not only kids who become addicted. Smartphones are a substitute for numerous print media as well as electronic devices. Now your books, TV, MP3 player, camera and much more all fit in the back of your jean’s pocket or your handbag.
Many children become addicted due to the fear of solitude and isolation, combined with the illusion of safety, sociability and impunity.
If this is true, we should maybe ask the question WHY?
The tech companies have invested a great deal of time and money in advancing addictive design, in order to increase sales and gain advertising contracts. They naturally wish to make a profit, nonetheless addiction, in any form, is harmful.
Digital technology is going to grow astronomically and offer even more ways to escape into a virtual reality. This may be favourable for some, but it makes many individuals dependent and vulnerable to manipulation. They may wake up one day with regrets, or they may not even ever realise that they are being influenced in any way or even worse, these people may not even care.
Not only is technological addiction detrimental to emotional, creative and social development, children should be given the opportunity to create their own future.
Therefore, I believe that it is important that we inform ourselves about how to recognise and deal with technological addiction.
