We are becoming more and more attached to and reliant on our smartphones. We use them to connect, share, and discover. We also use it to avoid interacting with others and to pass the time in general. It can be nice to find out what friends and family are up to, but there is no need to spend your day learning about everyone else’s.

I never spent much time on my iPhone back in high school. I didn’t have any games and I used it mainly as a camera when I was out and about. It wasn’t until I came to college that I became more reliant on my phone. I found myself on my phone several times a day doing nothing but browsing social media. At first, I didn’t think it was affecting my habits very much, but it was changing the way I spent my time significantly. It was getting to the point where if I had a free hour I would pick up my phone instead of drawing, reading, or writing like I used to spend my free time.

I know I’m not the only person whose habits have changed. I see my family and friends constantly on their phones as well. Some on social media, some playing games, but everyone is consumed by their phones. When walking to class or waiting for class to start, mostly everyone I see has their face glued to their phone screen. Even if people aren’t doing anything on their phones, they are using them as props to avoid interacting with other people. I think it’s becoming a real problem, not only for my generation but for anyone with a smartphone.

Smartphones have a good purpose, but I think they are easily abused. We are getting to a point where we either live our lives through our phones, or our lives revolve around them. I’m not trying to generalize, this isn’t happening to everyone, but it is prevalent. Smartphones are a helpful tool when used out of necessity but are wasting our time otherwise. Checking your phone also becomes habit, which makes it even harder to cut back.

The moment I realized I was spending too much time on my phone was when I automatically checked it for no reason and felt an urge to check it when I was in a situation when I couldn't. I found myself on my phone when with friends without even thinking about it. I was becoming disconnected with the things that were happening around me. I am starting to cut back on the time I spend on my phone, and I suggest it to anyone who feels they spend more time with their phone in their hands than anything else. I have found myself with more time to do what matters, and that is a good feeling.