Smarter phones, weaker bonds

Almost two decades ago, the vortex of the world wide web was mostly limited to one smartphone per household, or perhaps a family computer. Access to the internet was much more tedious and largely a communal experience. But in the span of a fairly limited amount of time, devices have shrunk from shared household fixtures to personal accessories. Now, a smartphone alongside an Instagram account, a list of your favourite YouTube videos and a curation of your most-liked TikTok hacks are not just indulgences, but social expectations - and they're applicable across all generations.

Excessive screen time is reshaping how we think, feel and connect. The habit of 'doomscrolling' in particular trains a mind to receive short bursts of dopamine, effectively destroying one's attention span and offering the same relief the brain seeks from drugs. To put it simply, the digital world is creating addicts in every home, which is in turn destroying our shared cultural values and traditional family routines.

Nowadays, it is not uncommon to witness a household where parents and children are separately cooped up in different corners experiencing vastly different worlds through their mobile phones. What used to be opportunities to bond over shared activities and hobbies have now become 'individual scrolling time'.

Moreover, the influence of social media marketing is putting undue pressure on people to conform to a certain standard of living. If their house doesn't look organised enough, and their clothes don't look stylish enough, or their dinner parties not 'aesthetic' enough, the loss is not merely pictorial. It convinces people that their lives are not enough.

Values regarding moderation, communication, quality time and bonding are unfortunately fading away. There is an urgent need to undo the normalisation of excessive smartphone usage, otherwise future generations will suffer through isolation in ways that we haven't even experienced.