Think about how many times have you sat at the table with your family for dinner. Not on holidays, not for special occasions, or someone’s birthday party, but to simply spend quality time with family. If you do sit at the dinner table and gather around with your family, how many of those times have you looked down at your phone to see what your friends have posted?

“We know from lots of research that spending time with other people in person is one of the best predictors for psychological well-being and one of the best protections against having mental health issues,” Audie Cornish said on National Public Radio.

If spending more time on a phone disrupts our social life with friends, how will it affect our relationship with our parents? The relationship we have with our parents is much more impactive and warm-hearted, thus meaning we should be more respectful of that.

“We don’t spend time as a family anymore because they’re always on their phone,” LC parent Regina Bocken said. “I can’t talk to them. I can’t play with them. I can’t even enjoy a nice dinner with them; they’re [always] on their phones.”

Many parents feel that their relationship with their children has deteriorated because of the fact that they use their phones so much, and they don’t spend enough quality time together.

“Those born after 1995 [are] much more likely to experience mental health issues than their millennial predecessors,” psychologist Jean Twenge said in an article on teen depression and suicide.

Although smartphones have distanced us from our in-person social life, they are still very beneficial to our lives today. For example, the GISD iPads that were provided help many students keep in contact with teachers if they have any questions. It helps students turn in any work from home, and helps the students study for tests.

“The use of technology is very helpful to us,” senior Jose Portillo said. “Sometimes when I need help with something in a class, it never hurts to take my phone out and look for something that’ll help me get a better understanding of the subject.”

Though the use of smartphones can be very helpful to the world today, we shouldn’t abuse the technology provided to us. Instead we should use them wisely; use them when we really need them. We should stick to going out with our friends, rather than just staying home video chatting them.