If you are anything like myself and or most students for the most part, when you turn on your computer to do an assignment that isn’t exactly what happens. Not at first at least. You probably check your Facebook notifications, check your Twitter to see what your friends are up to, watch any new videos in your Youtube subscriptions, maybe even watch an episode on Netflix, and then finally you begin your assignment after much delay. By now you’ve wasted about an hour of your time, or more. Time in which you could be doing something productive like exercising, studying, sleeping, or actually doing the assignment in which you turned the computer on for in the first place. Once you finally begin your assignment you might even stop a few times to answer a text, maybe like a few pictures on Instagram.

It’s becoming an addiction. The need to be connected to everyone and everything at any given moment is taking us over. A small piece of plastic is ruling our lives. A study by CourseSmart and Wakefield Research shows a majority of college students (67%) cannot go more than one hour without using some sort of digital technology, with 40% not even lasting more than 10 minutes.

Technology does have its perks. It helps with things such as keeping in contact with friends and family far away, easier to do research, being able to access grades online, and the option of online courses. But can we say the pros out weigh the cons? Things such as obesity rates rising, less time spent with family, struggling social skills, grades suffering, incorporating texting slang into writing assignments, and causing girls to have a negative self body image. An article by Forbes with research from the University of Buffalo indicates that people are basing their self worth off of how many likes they get on Instagram or what they see on Tumblr. Some teenagers feel if they don’t get as many or more likes than another person, they aren’t as good as them.

Our generation is putting technology before things that are far more important. We’re risking our own lives and the lives of innocent people to answer a text while driving and disrespectfully scrolling through our timelines while talking to someone. There has even been a case where a little girl was starved to death because her parents were so devoted to raising a virtual child online that they neglected her.

If the obsession technology is becoming such a problem for our generation, how bad will it be for the next? Eudemic.com claims playing games on the internet and texting is affecting children’s psyche negatively. It is leading to increased frustration, causing behavioral issues and negatively affecting relationships with parents. Schools are putting Ipads in classrooms, using them in place of pens and paper. I can’t help but think that typing instead of actually writing is going to affect children’s penmanship.

My eight year old cousin was given an iPhone at the age of seven. All day, everyday he spends playing games on his phone. He even uses instagram, an app that is not appropriate for a child. Ever since he got it he has spent less time outside playing and being with other kids. His lack of physical activity has caused him to gain an unhealthy amount of weight. Not only is he impacted physically, his social skills have declined. He rarely ever has play dates with other kids his age. He doesn’t understand why he isn’t allowed to bring and play with his phone in school and gets angry when it’s taken away.

I personally have a very strong love-hate relationship with technology. I love being able to keep in touch with my friends far away at school and the ability to capture memories and take a picture at any moment. That’s about the only thing I enjoy about it. I often find myself disgusted with the amount of time I end up wasting because of it. I’ve found my grades have suffered because of my use of technology. It has gotten to the point where if I don’t turn my phone completely off, assignments don’t get done. I know I’m not the only student struggling with this problem. Friends of mine have resorted to dropping classes because they can’t keep up.

We need a reality check. We need to come to the realization that online games and knowing what everyone is doing at all times is not as important as we think it is. If we don’t start to come to the realization of the harm we are causing to ourselves it will only continue to get worse.