You’ve likely heard the panic over what screen time is doing to our brains and bodies, and I’m not here to stoke the fire. However, I think it’s clear, especially if you’re over the age of twenty or so, that screens and devices rule our lives, which makes technology addictive.
I grew up in the nineties and early aughts. TV, computers, and smartphones all existed, but they were tangible, separate items used for specific purposes. I remember watching Sabrina, the Teenage Witch on Friday nights with my sisters, eating pizza, and talking about our crushes. Movies were saved for special occasions at the theater or a weekend treat via Blockbuster rental. Our main phone sat in the kitchen attached to a cord, and we had a real-life answering machine. Cell phones were for emergencies, and when I got one at age sixteen, I had a limited amount of minutes until 9 p.m. and texting required T9 words.
Times have obviously changed. Now, if you want boundaries related to screen time, you have to implement them yourself—which is both smart and seemingly impossible.