Imagine going to a family gathering and everyone is on their phones. What, honestly, is the point of being there anymore? You can just talk to everyone on their phone since it’s basically the same thing, right? Wrong.
Being on your phone at a family gathering, or any gathering for that matter, should be avoided. Coming back from COVID, almost everyone is used to talking to family and friends on the phone; however, this should most definitely be changed.
Especially as a teen or young adult, we tend to be on our phones a lot. Almost everyone our age has their social life based on their online status, so avoiding your phone at family gatherings can be extremely hard, but it is very beneficial. When you are not on your phone at family gatherings, you will be able to have some quality time with the people you love, but you will also be able to make more memories. One huge drawback of technology is that a lot of people are unable to make core memories with the people around them.
Memories are the little things that will keep you motivated through your hardest times and are often just the smallest things you might randomly remember years from now and smile at. However, these memories are difficult to form when everyone’s attention is engaged elsewhere. So, there should be some sort of regulation on phone usage at the dinner table, or when going out to a function/gathering with your family.
Simple, but important rules, might include just not going on your phone unless it is an emergency. Often when there is an emergency, you will get a phone call and a couple of texts asking you to respond, and unfortunately we are so used to checking our phones that we will definitely see them. But unless there is an emergency, phones should stay away. It might get awkward around your family, but eventually, someone will break the ice and you might actually end up enjoying your time there.
That’s not to say that you might not get bored. A lot of people’s main reason to go on their phones, in general, is boredom. However, boredom can easily be avoided when being around other people. You can simply have a conversation! Maybe you can even start a conversation about how everyone is always on their phone! And even if you don’t like your family, who’s to say you won’t enjoy just some time in the real world, completely disconnected from the online world.
