Folks, Put Down Your Phone. It’s Getting Ridiculous. [OPINION]
Go ahead and call me Carson Daly, cuz I'm about to hit you with "The More You Know."
PUT. DOWN. YOUR. PHONE.
No, I'm not saying this to my 12-year-old, to your teenager or to a toddler who's watching Bubble Guppies. I'm saying it to YOU, the adult. The parent, the grandparent, the aunt, the uncle, etc.
I attended our son's Christmas concert at his school last night. I made a conscious decision to NOT record any of it on my mobile device. Personally, I've been all about "experiencing" life as opposed to "documenting" it lately. That's not for everyone, and I understand that. But RIDDLE ME THIS - how does taking some pics of your kids' concert devolve into you playing Toon Blast?
I can't even begin to tell you how many adults were busy playing on their phones during the concert. Again - not taking photos or videos to remember the moment, but sending Snapchat, checking the weather and messaging others.
I'm NO angel - my son has yelled at me to put my phone down. Albeit, it's when he wants me to watch a YouTube clip that he's already showed me 99 times that day. But I got the message loud and clear, and I now make it a point to give him my undivided attention. And when I can't, I tell him - if I'm doing something for work or something important, I let him know.
I'll use the same analogy here that I used when Michelle Obama "came after" kids' school lunches - the reason why WE need to step in is that you had your chance and you blew it. It was just mere years ago that you decried the youth for being "glued" to their phones. And now you, too, are basking in the blue light at any given time.
LANGUAGE WARNING: Whether or not you think Louis CK is a creep, his bit on cell phones at school events (which is from 2013 and still holds up) is the best.
So, we need to have an intervention. Do me a solid and FOR ONE EVENT this holiday season - see what happens. Like, literally, you can SEE what's happening around you. Merry Christmas!