VideoAndy Crouch answers the question:
“Teachers and parents are always at us to be off our screens, but surely this problem is not limited to young people?”
Transcript
This is a problem everyone has. And I actually think most of us have been in a situation, not just with our peers but with people we thought we could trust, and we realised they’re not actually paying attention to us because there’s this screen that’s diverting them. And it’s actually why we all end up using the screen so much – we learn we can’t quite trust one another to be present. I’d really encourage anyone in that moment, whoever it is, to take the risk of saying, “Hey, could you actually attend to me?” It’s a real risk to ask for that – from your parents, from your friends, from your teachers sometimes – but almost always that other person, they really do want to pay attention to you, but we know how it is, they’ve just gotten distracted. But this is something all of us need to call each other to a better way of being human together, and just say, “Hey, let’s set a higher bar for how we’re together.” And yeah, these are useful devices, but they’re not meant to replace relationships. But everybody’s got to relearn this – parents and kids.