Get off your phone, please.

I come from a private school, where constant use of devices is frowned upon. And with good reason.

As I walk through the halls here, I am stunned to see people chatting with their friends, and yet they still have earbuds or headphones in. Are they really talking to one another or just listening to music?

The same happens in class. Many of the students are listening to music, and I have no problem with that when the teacher says they can. But when the teacher doesn’t give them permission, and the student next to me begins to blare music, I’m not so happy.

A phone or computer is just another piece of common technology, just like scissors. Many people turn to technology when it is not necessary. Think about it for a moment.

It’s like saying, “I’m bored. I’m going to go play with my scissors,” or, “Dudes! I got a new pair of scissors! Wanna come over?”

Where is the point of that? They’re just scissors.

Or how about when you’re sad? Sometimes you turn to your phone. How does that help in the long term? “My scissors make me happy.” But do they really make you happy? Studies show that dealing with your sadness is better than pushing it to the back of your head with a form of entertainment. It will come back.

We don’t use our phones for phoning much, but for music and games instead, which I don’t have a problem with, unless it starts getting abused. For example, when I am talking to some people, they don’t always continue the conversation and end up watching videos on their phones instead.

People use scissors on a regular basis for what they are needed for- cutting stuff.  But we use the technology in phones and computers for things that aren’t always helping the human race become closer to one another.

Instead of seeing someone in real life, we prefer to text or message them because it’s easier than talking to them. But I think that it takes away part of the human element of “hanging out” if everyone is on a device and not even talking much.

This is not to say that phones and computers are bad, but merely that our society overuses technology. I love to play video games at a friend’s house or call or text my family, email cousins and browse the web, but I feel that it should be in moderation.  Why do we turn to technology in times like these? Computers are like scissors and are even better in many ways, but they are abused far too much.

I use a computer every day, and I still wish I had a phone sometimes. But what would I use the phone for? It’s not like I constantly need to call or text people. In fact, the people we text these days are often close friends or family who we can talk to easily at home, school or work.

Please, get off your phone and talk to somebody in reality.