In today’s day and age, smartphones have become tools on which many people rely. From being alarm clocks to bankers or personal assistants, “Siri,” smartphones are continuously used for more than just communication.
As Apple begins to show users how much time they have spent on his or her phone a day on its “Screen Time” widget, it can be shocking to see how much time small glances and mindless Instagram scrolling can add up.
Raven Bivins, junior psychology major, said she uses her phone primarily for communication.
“Out of all my apps, I spend split time between Messages and Snapchat,” Bivins said.
“Snapchat is one of my few social media (accounts), so I use it to check up on events and happenings with friends and family.”
People today are becoming more concerned about spending unhealthy amounts of time on their phones as there can be different effects from excessive amounts of screen time.
Joe Murphy, freshman film studies major, said his phone can have negative effects on him so he tries to limit the amount of time he spends on his phone.
“I exercise spending less time on my phone every day,” Murphy said. “This has improved my mood and helped me stay focused longer. The more I’m on my phone, the less focused I feel.”
However, smartphones are not the only technology on which people are beginning to depend.
Some refrigerators are programmed with cameras to see items they lack and automatically order them from grocery stores.
Eimy Estrada, associate marriage and family therapist at California Baptist University’s Counseling Center, said the extreme use of technology may potentially harm users.
“Using technology helps us get through daily tasks faster. The downfall is it increases our tendencies to become impatient, frustrated, anxious and depressed all because we prefer not to wait,” Estrada said.
Relying on technology to this extent can cause people to be lazy and forget other ways to accomplish basic tasks that technology performs easily for them.
As technology constantly improves, limiting screen time and reliance saves users time and also has mental health benefits for many users who may need a technology break.
