Can you live without your smartphones and computers? If you were asked to give them up for a whole week, would you be up for the challenge?
We may not be aware of it but many of us have become highly dependent on our gadgets. In fact, this video by lifehunterstv points out that most people “spend 8 hours and 33 minutes on media each day” and that “we check our smartphones 221 times a day.”
One ordinary family was put to the test to see if they can stand being unplugged for 7 days.
Meet the Mann family, a family of four who agreed to participate in the “hardest experiment ever.” For one whole week, all electronic gadgets and devices will be off-limits for them so that means no TV, no tablet, no laptop, and definitely no smartphones.
Photo credit: YouTube
This, of course, wasn’t an easy feat especially since most of them admit that gadgets play a big part in their lives. Young Leanne admitted that the first thing she does upon waking up is to check on social media.
Actually, psychologist Marissa van der Sluis explained that gadget addiction is comparable to a “mild drug or alcohol addiction.”
“When you quit, you can get withdrawal symptoms,” she said.
So how did the family do in the challenge? How was their overall experience for 7 days without gadgets?
Watch the video below and see for yourself:
As the family attests, it has been a struggle living without gadgets for a while but they discovered new things. They had more time to talk, play games, and simply enjoy each other’s company – simple things they haven’t done for a while because they were all glued on their screens.
What Does It Mean To Overcome Tech Addiction?
According to a MakeUseOf article:
“Overcoming tech addiction doesn’t mean ending your use of that technology, it just means doing whatever you need to do so that the technology can improve the quality of your life, rather than taking over your life.”