With the rise of smart phones and gaming apps, the decline of eye contact comes just as fast. There has always been discussion on the issue of being too dedicated to staring at our phone screens, especially with younger children and even more so with young adults. This discussion has grasped even more traction with the new release of the app Pokémon Go. Although there are huge benefits to this app, such as forcing people to go outside and be active due to the interactive maps - like almost everything in this world there are still cons. Just like every other app this game forces the player to stare at their phone searching for Pokémon and spend much time searching and losing time and aspects of time. I, of course, am not bashing specifically Pokémon Go because I grew up with Pokémon, so I obviously am all for everyone playing whatever they want as long as they enjoy themselves. The serious issue that is seen throughout the gain of all these new game apps and the growing ideals of social media is that we still continually stare at our phones. I always fought with my mother about how I wasn’t obsessed with my phone and I was able to leave it but as I grew older I found that I could leave my phone more places and see that I definitely struggled with not staring at my phone for too long. From an older generations point of view, I can see why we seem so obsessed with our phones or that we seem controlled by our technology.

Through all these seen observations over the years and all these conversations we see the same response, “Just Look Up.” The addiction of phone screens has really changed the way we do everything. We wait by texting or playing games, we communicate by texting—no more phone calls— and we take pictures of things or people rather than just enjoying the moment as we must make sure that it is documented. We are a changed society because of the things we carry around in our hands. One of the best things we can do for ourselves is simply look up from our phones. When we are able to see the world we live in and appreciate what is in front of us it is worth more than the smart phone that is still in your hand. I think it’s time to stop staring at the bright light and control our vision to be what is right in front of us in the great ol' natural world we live in.