A Family Outing? No, Another Phone Session

How the Overuse of Phones in Families Affects Their Relationships

Written by: Mikhail Azariah D. Tan

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It is without a doubt that cell phones have become essential in our lives to the point we can’t even leave the house without it, but did you know that it has also negatively affected parts of our lives? For instance, spending time with family just turns out to be spending time with your phone despite being around them. My point here is that overusing your phone can lead to negative effects towards family relationships.

Nowadays, families have become more busy, meaning there is less time for them to gather around and spend time with one another. This means that using your phones during times of bonding comes with a heavy price to pay. Checking your phone for messages every now and then while spending time with family isn't so bad, but the problem arises when you start using your phone for extended periods of time. When you check your phone too frequently, you may not realize that you have taken a significant amount of time away from family bonding as a result of being constantly on your phone. When a family member spends a lot of time on their phone while with family, this could mean that the connection between them is weak or damaged because it shows that they don’t have the time or care to spend time with them. Using your phone while the family is sharing stories or talking with one another is a sign of being rude to them because it shows that you are not interested in what they have to say (Lee, 2021).

Professor Sherry Turkle came up with the term "alone together," which means that the person is alone while using their phone while being with other people around him. The family is all together but individually alone due to each of them being invested in their phones. This affects the family’s connection in a way where they don’t even feel each other’s presence anymore due to the fact they are all invested in their phones despite being in the same room or house as them. This hinders their quality time with one another as the presence of each family member isn't felt anymore due to them being alone together. Time is precious, so people should value spending quality time with their families and loved ones because as we grow older and older, it’s just a matter of time where our loved ones may soon pass away.

It is important to be aware of how long you have been on your phone because talking to your loved ones face to face is much better than just staring into your phone and scrolling on social media. Just like what James A. Roberts said, time really is precious so we need to spend it wisely as relationships are a key to happiness.