I just read this thread and opened that link...wait for it...on my phone.
But in all seriousness, yes, I'd say my usage is a problem. But I bet my usage is lower than most (
@prlyles excluded). But isn't any usage while with others "too much"?
My children do not have phones. One of them is 5 and the other 10. Obviously the 5 year old is too young but my 10 year old tells me he's one of like 3 or 4 in his class that doesn't have a phone. I told him 6th grade was the year that I kind of pinpointed as far as him having one. But I do see young kids with phones all the time. We have a home version of Family Feud that we take when our family goes out to dinner. Either that or a deck of cards. We play games and interact while watching other families all looking down at their phones while they're supposed to be out to dinner with each other. I've started to relish in the compliments that we get from other moms and dads when they see us playing a game together and not doing the phone thing.
My wife uses a Blackberry. No shit. She has resisted the smartphone movement. I'm proud of her. I love telling people that she still uses a Blackberry. She has a big job too. But she's made it clear, she'll answer emails when she can from her phone and she texts people from time to time. But when she leaves work, she leaves work. And she has very little interest in Facebook or any social media. When she reads (like at the pool or in the doctor's office), she actually reads a book. It's impressive. My phone usage has become a point of contention. But I'm getting better.
Children are being raised to not understand how to have proper social interaction. It's sad.
