The damage is already done for most people who already use it. Whenever I go to a restaurant and see friends, families, and couples together, I feel sad that instead of talking to each other, they’re all watching TikToks or reels. On a bus or train, barely one or two people are actually doing something other than watching something online.

At least, hopefully, this rule helps future generations. People’s brains are so addicted that they can’t even focus for 10 minutes straight. On top of that, I see moms giving their toddlers mobile phones while they eat or whenever they need to get something done. People should really start considering how social media affects us in the long term.

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greggsy 16 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

Believe it or not many people actually read news and books on their phones.

I think there a lot of survivorship bias in this observation, where the thing you’re most likely to see people watching is the thing that’s most flashy.

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f6v 29 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

> On a bus or train, barely one or two people are actually doing something other than watching something online.

I mean, what else should I be doing? Self-analyzing and staring in the window?

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dotcoma 11 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

Thinking. Taking notes, ideally on a piece of paper. Relaxing. Talking to strangers. And yes, self-analysing. Staring in the window, maybe not so much.

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yoz-y 22 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Reading and conversing with a stranger? Maybe not every time but at least once in a while?

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cryptoz 25 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

I treasure my memories of being on subways and busses and getting lost in thought while staring out the windows, yeah. I mean, people have done this for basically all of human history (okay walking or something, not on a train, but, yeah). It's not a bad thing to have some time with just your senses existing in the world.

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marcelo-earth 3 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

I mean, you're right. When I travel, I rarely use my phone or listen to music because everything is about discovering new things, and I love it

But when I'm home, on my way from home to the gym, I take the same route every day, and it can get boring sometimes

I'm also terrible at keeping my phone charged, so sometimes I end up alone with my thoughts anyway

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greggsy 15 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

Let people enjoy things.

	▲	edu 9 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		The problem with being always online is not “not-enjoying” but stopping to think. People are getting used to be feed what they need to think constantly (from politics to product reviews) and then their critical thinking skills atrophy. Moreover, I’m not sure if being on social media is something “enjoyable” anymore, and it’s more like smoking tobacco where it becomes necessary but is not enjoyed.