I was invited to speak with 7th and 8th grade students of Utpal Shanghvi Global School in Vile Parle west, Mumbai, on the ill-effects of excessive use of gadgets, how they can and must restrict usage to needs and not wants, and how a digital detox is the need of the hour.
We discussed the effects of excessive gadget use. Not surprisingly, everyone admitted to feeling the physical and mental symptoms of gadget overuse without having attributed the cause of those feelings to the devices at the end of their arms. They admitted to being addicted to Instagram and Snapchat, the social media apps of choice for the current generation. Tiktok was catching up. Plus gaming devices and consoles were a major drain on their time resources. PUBG was a major culprit, eating away into students’ mental and physical capacity for studies and productive extracurricular activities. Most students admitted to an urgent need for a gadget detox, a break from social media, but the addiction had now run so deep and the fear of missing out so overwhelming, that they didn’t know how to go about it.
We discussed effective strategies and steps that they could take to reclaim their time and sanity, and enjoy the true marvel that is real life. I hope that I left the students with enough motivation, encouragement and food for thought that would push them towards a healthier lifestyle with priorities in place.
Here are some snapshots from the day…
