The G.I Generation, The Mature/Silents, Babyboomers, Generation X and finally, the Millennials.

Each of these generations holds something significant that separates them from each other and shows distinct changes in history. From the G.I Generation 'til my generation, Generation "Y," we went from The Great Depression to virtually everyone I know owning a smartphone. If you look up information on these generations, you see the characteristics on technology change the most drastically. Generation X was introduced to it in middle school/high school years, while Generation Y has known it their whole life. But what I read on the next generation, Generation Z, the "Boomlets" (ages 8-12), shocked me. Studies show that approximately 4 million in this generation have their own cell phone, and 61 percent have their own television in their rooms.

What scares me is that my generation is the first one to grow up with technology. What we are doing is teaching the next generation that it's OK to have your face glued to your phone screen the whole day.

That social media is extremely important and how many likes you get on a picture determines some type of self worth. That conversations with someone through a screen are as meaningful as face-to-face ones.

I know how much of a trap social media is. I fall into it every day.

Seeing what others are doing, seeing what others are saying to you, carrying another world that's incredibly easy to get pulled into at the palm of your hand. I always ponder on the fact of how lucky I am that I grew up without a cell phone. My life already seems so overrun with technology and I know having a phone even earlier in life would have been unhealthy.

4 million 8-12-year-olds already have their own cell phone. 4 million.

I recall getting my first flip phone when I was 14. I can't imagine already losing that real communication with others and being absorbed into social media at that age. I already feel that I've lost so much connection with the outdoors and real conversations with others because of my phone.

The real kicker is that Generation Z is watching my generation on our phones and following in our footsteps.

My generation may have been the first generation to grow up with technology as an everyday presence in our lives, but we are also the closest generation that Generation Z is watching as role models.

We could keep future generations from falling into the same trap. All we would have to do is unplug from time to time. We have to remember that technology cannot run our lives and the magic happens when we look up from our phone screens. I never had a good memory with my friends when we were too focused on how many likes the picture we posted got or were glued to our phones the entire time. We influence the younger generation more than we know. If we can show them that it's healthy to spend time away from the screen, then maybe we can stop them from living their life through their smartphones.

Our lives are happening now in front of our eyes, not down at a tiny screen.