Everyone these days relies on technology. It is changing our society, for the better and for the worse. It reminds me of cigarettes in a way; for a long time, people thought technology was going to change our world in a good way like how people thought cigarettes were healthy. Now, people know that cigarettes are bad for us because of how long they’ve been around. Will technology be the same way? Will we ever realize that technology is taking over our lives and that it is just as addicting as cigarettes, if not more? Kids use technological equipment to cheat on their homework and important tasks they should learn on their own, parents are always on Zoom meetings and computers for work, and almost everyone has a phone now, even young kids.

Middle and high school kids are using websites like ChatGPT to complete assignments, solely to get a better grade. Little do they know, by using websites like that, they are taking away the whole point of school: to learn and prepare for when they’re graduated and on their own, not to get better grades. They also use tools like translating apps to cheat in language classes. Don’t get me wrong, apps like that are great when used in the appropriate way. But when kids are using tests and homework instead of actually learning something, they are just making themselves more reliant and addicted to technology.

 Let’s also talk about social media. Every generation is addicted to social media, whether it is parents and grandparents on Facebook and Reddit, or young children on apps like Tiktok, Snapchat, and Instagram. People are worried about what others think of them, ON A PHONE! Something like that just doesn’t seem to add up, posting pictures or videos for the world to see and worrying constantly about looks doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. 

Almost every kid has experienced this. I’m sure of it. It’s 2020, the year of the infamous COVID-19 virus. Everyone is stuck at home, including the parents. Work for them has become an easy task of simply waking up in their comfy clothes and going to their computers for Zoom meetings or other online tasks they must complete before the end of the work day. And after the pandemic faded, people still continued to work from home on a normal basis. They sit inside all day not leaving their homes, at a desk with a computer. For the parents and those working, this has become a normal activity for them and they constantly worry. Normally, home is where people unwind from the stresses of work but now they have seemed to blend together making adults stressed even when they’re at home relaxing. Work is now permanently embedded in their minds. This cannot be good for the mental health of adults.

People need to stop relying on technology, in public and in private, like the kiosks at the grocery stores or their work desks at home. People need to start going back into the office for work and engaging in social interaction that isn’t over a screen. People need to stop using social media as a way of amusement and instead play board games, puzzles, or other activities that don’t involve a screen.

The fact that technology has become so prominent in almost everyone's lives is terrifying and no matter what they say, it has become something we all cannot live without, which is a scary thought to me.