It’s so easy to say that someone else is addicted to their phone, or a student is so addicted to their phone, but what about you? Do you have a cell phone addiction?
Every time I teach a seminar on technology I start with a little survey about cell phone addictions. It’s easy to see that it’s someone else’s problem, but what if everyone I have done the test with has show signs of smartphone addictions (except the woman who came to the session with no phone…I still don’t know why she was there!).
Marshall McLuhan famously stated, “We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us.” If you look at this generation, we are being shaped by the tools we use, we aren’t shaping them anymore.
We came across this infographic called: Cell phone addiction in America. It’s surprising, and I bet the stats could be used across the globe.
Here are some stats that stand out:
The average person checks their phone 110 times a day. That is 40,150 times a year. That should be alarming. We are creating a habit that is going to change the way we think, feel, and live. It’s going to change our day to day living.
John Piper so famously states, “One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove on the last day that prayerlessness was not from a lack of time.” When I am working with students, I often hear how they don’t have time to pray or read their Bibles. When I ask how much time did they spend on netflix this past week, it’s pretty sobering.
If we don’t have a plan for technology, it will shape us, and it will shape our time.
44% feel anxiety if they can’t find or replace their phone in a week. Could you go without your phone for the week? Without technology?
I bet you would struggle. I did. Every year on my holidays, I have a rule with my phone. I get one charge. Once that charge is out, it’s done. It allows me to not check the device for 110 times a day. This one simple rule helps me focus on what matters most, my family, my faith, and my friends.
How often do you go without your phone?
Where do we go from here? How do we help ourselves and the families that we serve?
- I think we need a plan. How are you going to use your devices? What are your guidelines? When are you going to take a digital sabbath? If you don’t have a plan, you will never succeed. You will not know the target. Create a plan to help you succeed.
- We need devices like Circle by Disney. This is one awesome device. Every family should have one. Seriously. If you really cared about your kids and the families in your church you would give these away. You should share this with them. To have a plan is as easy as installing this device to track your online time.
