OFF THE GRID

Limiting cell phone usage can lead to higher productivity and the ability to be more present in the moment summer if I wasn’t ever really on my phone, I can learn how to navigate [life],” Moore said. “People did it for hundreds of years before there were cell phones, so I figured, why can’t I?” he chose not to bring his phone to school for the last couple of months as well as altered the settings on his smartphone in order to limit usage. on my phone that isn’t necessary,” Moore said. “For a while I was testing out changing the color scheme on my phone to all grays, because a lot of what addicts people to their phones are the colorful icons and notifications.”

The world relies on smartphones, senior Kevin Moore said. In order to detach himself from this dependency, Moore said he will only use a Nokia 2760 flip phone whenever he leaves his house this summer. Moore said he will still have access to his iPhone when at home, however he wants to limit his smartphone use in order to thoroughly enjoy his summer.

Similar to Moore, junior Lizzy Hostetler adjusted her phone settings to decrease utilization. She spends no more than 40 minutes a day on social media, and said she to social media has also given her more time to pursue meaningful interests, such as exploring different types of books, and has allowed her creativity to improve.

“My creativity has gotten better because I’m not copying exactly what I see,” Hostetler said. “ I thinking about about screens when you’re off them and enjoying things you’re doing right now.”

Similarly to Hostetler, Moore said his screen time being only one or two hours a day will hopefully allow him to be more present.

“I’ll remember the summer a lot more and live more in the moment,” Moore said. “It will probably change the way I am on my phone at school.”

In addition to being more present, junior Katie LaHood said she was fueled to make a change to her cell phone usage when she noticed her productivity slipping during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I noticed a lot of the time in my days, I would just spend [time] being on my phone instead of doing things I actually want to do,” LaHood said. “I just noticed I wasn’t getting anything out of being on my phone for so long. So I was like, ‘why would I continue to live like this?’”

LaHood said she goes through periods of time where she will limit the time spent on her phone, delete all social media, or just put it away in her dresser drawer.

“I usually get a lot of stuff done and it puts me in a good headspace,” said LaHood. “I feel like my phone weighs me down. Like there’s just a lot of negative things that come with it.”

Licensed psychologist Dan Somberg, Ph.D elaborated on the negative impacts of phones, specifically social media. He said it can contort one’s view of themself and their life.

“We have a tendency to get a little distorted and to view ourselves in more of a negative way, to highlight our negatives more than our positives, to not see ourselves in a very holistic, balanced, fair way,” Somberg said. “Social media can really throw gasoline on that fire.”

Although Hostetler said she believes screen time restrictions are extremely important, she also said she recognizes the dependency society has on the technology today.

“Life right now, you need [technology], which is why it has such a grip on me,” Hostetler said. “I think I am addicted to social media because it’s impossible not to be. Anyone that has it is a little bit addicted.”

In addition, Somberg said phone usage can become an addiction and checking one’s phone can reach a point where it is no longer intentional.

“It can almost become a nervous checking, or a compulsiveness, that doesn’t have a sense of freedom or mindful choice to it,” Somberg said. Moore said restricting use of his smartphone has made him realize the importance of technology in today’s world.

“The world is kind of built around [technology],” Moore said. “The more I went around with a flip [phone] the more I realized there is a lot of stuff you need a smartphone for.”

Conversely, LaHood said although she recognizes the conveniences of phones, they are not necessary for someone to function in the modern world.

“It is definitely a sort of generation[al] thing [where] you kind of need to have a phone,” LaHood said. “But, I don’t feel like it’s a need. It’s definitely very convenient.”

In order to determine whether someone depends heavily on cell phone usage, Somberg said it is a good idea to test oneself.

“Give yourself a little task and just take 24 hours, put the phone away and see what that’s like,” Somberg said. “If it’s impossible, that’s probably a problem. If it’s hard, there’s probably some degree of a problem there.”

Overall, LaHood said separating oneself from technology is worth trying.

“Just kind of separate yourself from your phone,” LaHood said. “Maybe that won’t work for everybody, but whenever I do stuff offline, it tends to be very, very rewarding.”