The Digital Prison
Who is not in a digital prison? Please contact me. I want to learn from you. The cell phone is now a prison cell. It has rewired our brains and continues to do so. For a parent, it is next to impossible to refuse a child from getting a phone. It reminds me of the 1980s TV public service announcement about drug use. The father scolds his son for doing drugs and asks how he learned to use drugs. The son becomes indignant and shouts, "You, alright?! I learned it by watching you!"
We are all in it. Some don’t really think it is a problem. This is called denial. Here are some observations already documented by others:
Many sleep with their phones and turn to their phones upon waking. I am guilty of picking up my phone in the morning before my first cup of coffee!
In a beautiful nature setting, most people are more concerned with capturing the best photo for their social media accounts, unable to appreciate the beauty in the moment.
All apps, no matter if for jobs, dating, shopping, social media, are all designed for the same purpose — to keep you glued to the app. If you leave the app, then the creators of the app failed at their jobs.
You may disagree or agree. These are my observations. I notice many children and young adults who I work with struggle with social and emotional learning. The phone creates a barrier for learning when it comes to learning about emotions.
Because I struggle with phone use, I have some on-going experiments to limit my use per day. I continue to fail. It is progress not perfection. Here are some experiments and the results:
I leave the phone in the car when I go for a hike or when I am with the horses. Result: 6 out of 10. I use the excuse I may need the phone if there is an emergency. If there was an emergency, there would be many people nearby with a phone.
When I meet friends for coffee, I leave my phone in the car. Result: 8 out 10. This is the easiest practice that I have found. It is a really nice phone break. I will use the excuse that I need the phone to show them photos or something important. Never happens. I am always happier when I have the moment to be with another human.
One day per week, I have a social media detox day. Result: 2 out of 10. This is the hardest! I use the excuse that I will miss messages or that I need to post something important. Tell me one social media post that you can remember from seven days ago?
Recently, I started deleting apps on the phone if I find they are not really helpful or if they are time drains. Result: 5 out of 10. I reason with myself and argue that it is not harming anyone to keep the app. Again, the creators of the apps don’t want you to leave. They make it very hard!
My friend Shep is my hero. He had a flip phone for years UNTIL…..last month when he purchased a smart (dumb) phone. I still honor him because he is the only person I know who made it that long without a crack phone.
If you are like me or have a child struggling, be easy on yourself. Forming new habits takes time. Make small goals like leaving your phone behind if you are with friends and family. Don’t worry. Someone will have a camera!
If you haven’t tried this, come visit the horses. They will force you to be present. As a therapeutic riding instructor, I give my students the option to put their phone in a safe container while they are at the barn.
The horses are taking pictures of you. Ask them what they see.
Hi! The main thing I do is to set goals based on my priorities: for example, I try to limit my screen time on my computer to about four or five hours, sometimes more or less however, based on school and how much I'm writing. I also try to set aside time in the morning and evenings for Bible reading and non-educational reading.
Seeing the addiction of others to their phones, or other devices, has made me much more willing to put aside my own device and spend time doing other things. My ultimate priority is obedience to God, and when I see phones as a mere material thing that will pass away quickly, it loses its value. I also enjoy writing a lot, and I've learned that the more time I spend on a device, the less I have to do what I actually enjoy, and the more distracted and unfocused my brain gets.
These goals really help me to stay away from addiction. Of course, we all have our idols, and it's not always obvious to us what's causing that. But self-control and a biblical attitude, I think, are the best things we can use to keep our sights on what's really important.
This is an excellent point. But I believe that it takes not just time, but diligence and the right priorities to avoid being trapped by a "digital prison". It's sad how many today let their phone control them because they don't have the self-control to put it away for an extended period of time. This is especially prevalent in the teens and gen z in today's world. If we set out priorities straight, we can avoid this. What's more important, obedience to the Creator and Judge of this world, or obsession with (a type of obedience to) a physical device that controls us more than we control it?