Gadgets are interfering in relationships

I remember a time when all our family and friends were together, sharing our joys and sorrows. But that time didn’t last long as now the internet and gadgets have taken over most of our lives. During lockdown ‘quality time’ or ‘family time’ was valued a lot. Nowadays, most of our lifestyles are controlled by our gadgets, and it also plays an important role in our daily life, but along with that, we cannot forget about our surroundings and people.

There are many pros and cons to having gadgets. It can help you connect with people far away, but it can also disconnect you from people close to you. It also causes addictions. Addictions are habits which you cannot control, and if not taken care of soon enough, it can cause severe damage. Especially children and teens are at a high risk of addictions. Research says excessive time on the internet is related to a higher risk of suicide or depression among teenagers, mostly girls. It can also cause health issues like migraines or eye problems.

As many people say, ‘Children are like clay, you can mold them into any shape that you want.’ If you let them play games or use devices from a young age, they grow up most likely having an addiction.

Now coming to a point where gadgets start interfering with relations. Imagine yourself in a crowd where everyone is invested in their cell phones or gadgets, where there is no communication and you are left out. How would you feel? Don’t you think that the connection is broken?

Let me tell you a story as an example. In a faraway village, there lived two men Shyam and Bir. They both were close and known to their society. Shyam always had a dream to visit Kathmandu, ‘The capital.’ But Shyam’s family did not have that type of money to send him there. So, for Shyam’s 21st birthday, Bir decided to fulfill his wish and gave him a ticket to Kathmandu, ‘The capital’ as he said. Shyam was delighted to hear the news and excitedly went home to pack his bags for the trip.

Once he went there, he made new friends; all of them had gadgets except him. He resolved to get a part-time job to make money for the cell phone. As time went by, he collected enough money for a new phone. He started adjusting and loving the new environment Kathmandu provided. Meanwhile, Bir, who was missing his friend, decided to surprise him by giving a visit.

Shyam was taken aback and embarrassed to introduce a ‘villager’ to his ‘cool’ new friends. Not only that, Bir was disappointed to see his friend so addicted to simply a gadget. He was so invested in his gadget that he did not even pay attention to Bir, who was the reason he even was in Kathmandu. Bir didn’t expect this from his good friend. Thus, he left since he found the village more comforting.

But Shyam, on the other hand, had landed himself in the hospital for his migraines, but he also realized that his friends did not care for him the way Shyam did. Noticing his mistake, he went back to the village. As soon as he reached there, he went and apologized to Bir. Even though his addiction wasn’t completely gone, he did go to different clubs to cure it.

From this story, you learn how far people can go for gadgets. Therefore, to no end in situations like this, we need to follow some preventive measures. Take notice of your screen time level and also have routines and individual screen times for each app that you constantly use. As a parent, be cautious about children with gadgets. Try to reduce yourself from using devices. These are some information and awareness about gadgets.

The writer, Prisha Shrestha, is a schoolgirl.