Phone Apps, They Can Be the Root of All Evil

I admit it. I am probable one of the worst offenders. I love those free apps I download onto my phone. And they are a problem. If you’re not careful, those seemingly meaningless phone apps really can be the root of all evil,

They Are a Time Suck

I can get pulled into some silly game on my phone and lose all track of time. My intention may be to sit down and do nothing for a few minutes, but the next thing I know, 30 minutes has gone by. And I know I’m not the only one. I have friends who complain about their significant others doing the same.

They Make You Uncommunicative

When I sit and play these silly games, it’s as if everything around me disappears. And that includes people. My husband or daughter can start talking to me, and I have no idea what they are even saying. If I do happen to realize someone is talking to me, my responses tend to be one word. Or the least amount of words I can use to respond. I stop communicating.

Even worse than my unresponsiveness, I watch our children communicate- or not. Our children take their cues from us. I’ve watched two kids sit together and not say a word to each other. That may be fine on the surface, until I realize they are actually texting with each other instead of actually talking to each other. Yes, texting is a form of communication, but a lot of children today are not great at holding a conversation. One of the best compliments I hear from my friends is about a child who has started, lead, and held a conversation with them.

They Make You Dumber

As I sit and play my silly games on my phone, I realize that I become worse and worse at them as time goes on. I seriously become dumber. I can feel my brain slowing down and my eyes becoming heavy. When I feel this happening, it is always an immediate sign that I need to put down my phone. But the smarts don’t come back right away. It takes a while to come out of that fog and be a person who can interact and have a real conversation one again.

This is not to say that all phone apps are bad. I’ve talked about a few of the good ones. Duolingo is a great app for learning a new language. And there are other great apps out there for exercise, like FitCoach and BetterMe.

But for the rest of them? Do yourself a favor. Don’t get sucked into them. Your family and friends will thank you, your brain will thank you, and you will thank yourself.