By Natasha Hibner, Y13
Many of us have become dependent on our phones without even realizing it. We use them to communicate, stay in touch, check the time and even to wake up. Recently, Natasha decided to initiate a project to try living a day without her phone. Here is her story:
“When deciding whether or not to do this project, I knew I would have to face many difficulties and overcome numerous challenges. Living in today’s generation, I have learned that it is almost impossible for a teenager like me to spend 24 hours without a phone or social media. Yet, I succeeded!
Although social media has its perks, it is destroying not only our mental and physical health, but also our ability to socialize with the people standing right in front of us. Nowadays, teenagers spend more than 9 hours a day in front of a screen. Isn’t that astounding? Well, I am also a victim of the addictive side of social media and I am now aware of how terrifying this phenomenon is becoming. As teenagers, we would rather spend our free time interacting with people through a screen than reading a book. This can lead to serious issues, since social media often compares people to each other, resulting in depression and eating disorders.
I hence decided to create this project because I think that we tend to underestimate our dependence on our phones and social media and the impact it has on our communication skills. With this project, I had the aim to raise awareness about how spending 24 hours without any phones or social media, can change you life.
To organize this initiative, I ironically had to use social media to communicate with my friends who agreed to participate in this. I used my personal Instagram account with 50 close friends to announce the day I started. This inevitable need for preparation to spend 24 hours without a phone or any social media further shows our dependence. Some people even decided to ignore it, assuming it would be impossible to complete. Nevertheless, I got several of my friends to participate. Since they couldn’t use their phones, the had to write down any of their feelings and expressions on paper. This collaboration helped prove a point on a more general level, instead of focusing solely on one person.
The results were better than I expected! I don’t think I’ve ever had a higher sense of awareness of my surroundings. I felt as if an anxiety and pressure to always stay connected, answer messages, conform to and share with others, did not exist for a day. It made me realize that there is so much more to look at than our screens. I even slept better! My friend Esther also had very positive reactions. She said that was happy and focused at school and that she did not experience an urge to turn her phone on. Overall, she told me she’d do it again and that she would even consider making it a weekly “assignment” in her life.”
Having read all of this, you might consider trying the initiative as well. It is, after all, just 24 hours! If so, make sure to let us know in the comments below!
