Technology Addiction in Families

Let me start with a few scenarios I believe we all can relate to. First imagine you are at the airport and when you look around every single person is on their phone, typing on their laptop, or have headphones on. Now let me take you to the streets on New York City where it is packed full of tourists taking selfies and looking up directions. You can imagine you are in your home with family and friends and all that’s happening is people watching tv, playing games on their phones, or scrolling through social media. Lastly, you are waiting to go in for a work interview and the interviewer is on their phone the whole time, taking calls during the interview. We all can easily imagine these scenarios, because we have either experienced them or we just have accepted that that is how our world functions. Technology is at the core of all we do.

Well, what if I told you that the core of our society should be family. We should be promoting habits that promote healthy family relations. However, we have instead turned to technology to feel connected and even worse have become addicted to technology.

We may be so blinded that we don’t even see when these habits come into our family or home. When I grew up my family was always taking any opportunity to pull out the board games, be outdoors, or play sports. However, when I was in middle school my parents got a big flat screen TV, then my brothers got their gaming devices, eventually I got my cell phone, and then social media really became popular. Well over the course of the past ten years my home is not the same. When I go home for the holidays do you know what we do? We all sit on the couch together while my dad has his show on, us kids are on our phones, and my mom is on her laptop because her phone screen is to small for her deteriorating eyes. Now some may see this as just normal life, but to me it makes me sad. It makes me sad because I feel more connected to technology rather than my family.

Now I know what you all are thinking, that is not addiction right. Maybe it is maybe it isn’t. However, what kind of actions does this behavior lead to? What do these kinds of example are you setting for your children? How can we learn to balance the use of technology in the home? Do we need to go get help if you or someone you know is addicted? I will do my best to help answer these questions, but in the end, this needs to be something each person really ponders on and makes a personal commit too.

First, what does technology addiction to do individuals and families? Most kids now of days know how to use a phone. You see toddlers navigating their way through websites, YouTube, or gaming apps on their parent phone to keep them entertained. A study was done which showed that thus with internet addiction had psychiatric distress especially between the ages of 18–25. They also showed that males were more likely to be addicted than females. Lastly, that people who get treated for mental health concerns have addictions to mobile, internet, video game, and/or pornography usage.

Now look at yourself and your family. How do these facts impact you? Maybe you have a child between the ages of 18-25 and you can tell is distressed. Maybe you have a husband or son who can’t put their phones down. Maybe you are struggling with mental health issues due to the impact of addictions and can’t ever stay in a stable relationship when trying to date someone you want a future with. Well all of these events impact the family. Even if you are not married yet, technology addiction can stop you from forming a family or possibly make you feel distanced from the one you were born into.

As parents what kind of example are you setting for your children? Now this is not to make you feel guilty, but just to have a self-reflection time. When your kid is screaming, do you just hand them your phone to shut them up? When at the dinner table is everyone on their phones or are you all catching up on how everyone is doing? Do you and your spouse go on dates often and keep a “no phone” policy? Do you set time limits and boundaries on your own technology devices? Do you have a TV in the bedroom? There are so many things that technology offers that are blessings, but often they can be harmful. If parents do not set that example for their children, then it will be difficult for children to know what a healthy balance looks like. Again, this is why I mentioned the importance of taking time to research and self-reflect because this has to be your decision. Now is the time for you to help yourself, your family, and your future family’s use of technology.

So let me finish with this if you or someone you love is addicted to technology don’t be afraid to get help. There is so many resources that can hep you understand more about technology addiction and how to get help. I want to challenge each of you to start today. First start with yourself, take some time to self-reflect on you technology habits and if you need to make some changes make them. Then talk to your spouse, family, and friends about what you have learned. Then continue to be consistent. Be someone who promotes a healthier future for not only you and your family, but for society. Because the core of our society is not the technology, but the family.