There’s no denying the positives of smart phones. They aid us greatly when it comes to communication, knowledge, data, and even leisure. In fact, it would be hard for me to live without one and I know many of my peers would feel the same. But there is a huge cost to them, one that every single one of us is paying. There’s a way to combat these negatives, though: a digital detox.

I thought it would be a good idea to write this article after actually taking a social media break to prove how my life would benefit from it. But the first step to writing the article would be to actually take a break. I couldn’t, which proves my point on how dependent we all are. But what I can do is list the negatives of social media use and the benefits we could all reap from detoxing.

The gravest negative from our habitual frequent phone use is how it has changed social interactions. It’s not uncommon to find a family out at dinner, with every one of them on their phones. The whole point of dinner is to be with each other, but when on a phone, that’s not the case. Minds are elsewhere.

Social media and cell phone use has also made us more inclined to instant gratification because it’s easier to get what we want when we want it. For example, when we do homework we may get bored and watch a youtube video, then get sidetracked and go to Instagram. It’s all instant with no delay in our happiness which is a problem. Things in life take time, nothing is instant. Social media and frequent phone use keep us from learning this.

With all that said, there is a silver lining. Taking a social media break can help us realize and combat these negatives.

One thing that a detox is useful for is actually helping us realize these negatives. When we spend time away from our phone we realize how much we actually don’t need it. We can see from an outside perspective he negatives that I mentioned earlier.

In addition to realization, a detox will ultimately help us connect better with the real world. This means connect better with one another at family dinner, or connect with other things such as nature or anything else that comes to mind. Instead of wasting time on our phones we could be doing more fun and constructive things like going out to a movie or even reading a book.

Ultimately, we have a very limited time on this earth and my fear is that many of us are wasting that time away in front of a screen. It’s hard to realize this, I know. But taking a detox can help us realize that and aid us in taking steps to a more meaningful life.