I heard a program on CBC radio the other day, asking whether or not screens are altering developing brains, and not in a good way. There has been a rise in anxiety and cutting amongst teens in the last number of years. Studies are showing that constant screen use is a major contributing factor. Texts or facebook posts have become the norm for social interaction. But neither allow for body awareness, body reading or accountability for actions. As we are still children of the planet, ones made of earth, fire, water, air; part of the five senses – technology cannot speak to that. So, we are abandoning ourselves to wires and chips and invisible connections. Young brains that need things of the earth, and physical connections to others, are suffering. They don’t think they are, as phones are part of their hands. But the fact is, they are. So, what do we do. What is the next step and how do we pull back and reclaim who we all really are, allowing for technology to take its place in our lives, one small space, not the only one.
(first posted on my website marinalreed.com)