Muse September 2017

* Quotes from

actual teens

WHAT WOULD you do with your time if you couldn’t use a cell

phone, computer, or other digital device? Would you perish of

boredom? Or would you feel happier and more relaxed? Some

teens have tried it and lived to tell the tale.

Many schools and other organizations have tried some form

of a “tech timeout” or “unplug challenge.” In these experiments,

groups of people give up their digital devices for a few days.

h e experts running these challenges argue that technology

often distracts us from more important things—like face-

to-face conversations, creative projects, and enjoying the

outdoors. Ideally, taking away technology would increase your

enjoyment of the real world, here and now.

Sometimes that’s what happens. Esther Laver, a 16-year-

old who lives in the United Kingdom, voluntarily took part in

an experiment where she gave up social media for as long as

she could. She lasted two weeks. “I really didn’t mind being

without it,” she told h e Guardian. “I got to sleep earlier. It was

nice having more time.”

But other teens feel that tech breaks just aren’t worth

it. Seventeen-year-old Tim Chai decided not to attend a

certain summer camp because he wouldn’t be allowed to

bring his phone or computer.

“I just thought it was too much

for me to handle,” he told the

Associated Press.

Boredom is one issue for

teens like Chai, but the biggest

problem is disconnecting from

friends. Janice De Costa, an

18-year-old from the UK, gave up

social media for one week. “I had

a lot of anxiety in the evenings

on the i rst couple of days,” she

told h e Guardian. “I didn’t know

what was going on.... One of

my best friends from secondary

school had a birthday party, and I

missed it.”

What do you think? Would

you enjoy disconnecting, or

would you feel like you were

missing the party?

COULD YOU LIVE

WITHOUT YOUR PHONE?

MATTHEW BILLINGTON

Your

Tech

BY KATHRYN HULICK

It’s cheered me up for

some reason. I can

concentrate more.*

I felt different,

like I was naked

all the time.*

I did worry a bit
that people would
forget about me.*