The next time you're out and about, pay attention to your surroundings. Put your phone away and observe how people interact with one another, whether they are friends or family.

What's the one thing most in common? Everyone is glued to a screen. I might be a millennial, but I don't think this is, or should be, normal.

I've witnessed absent parenting on a number of occasions, too many to fully recount each and every single one right now, but three instances have stuck with me the most because of the lessons they taught me.

The first one occurred at O'Hare airport as a I was waiting in the immigration line. I am never on my phone while waiting to get through since the signs says so, and although it takes forever, it's a great chance to people watch. One time, further in line was a family of two parents and three children, the youngest of whom was a toddler in a stroller and the eldest was a young teenager. None of the family members were talking to one another, and the mom was distracted by a phone. She wasn't on the phone. No, the phone was for the toddler in the stroller. Loud music emanated from the phone to the child's delight, and she looked content as her mother bent over, seemingly in agony, to satisfy her daughter's needs. However, as the line moved on, and the phone slightly moved out of her sight as they moved, shrill screams could be heard in the terminal. But they went away in a mere split second when the phone re-appeared.

The lesson here is the importance of setting screen-time limits.

I already know my toddlers won't have much access, but this becomes even more important later on.

Another time I witnessed absent parenting was at a street festival. Both parents and the child, sitting curbside near the stage, were on their own screens. No one was talking to one another or enjoying the music. While most people around them were engaged, they were disengaged from everything around them. It would have been sweet to see them dance with each other or at least actively listen to the music.

The lesson here is recognizing a parent's influence on their children's behaviors.

Behaviors are learned, so parents need to watch how they interact with their devices around their children. If a child's parents are always on their devices, it normalizes constant screen time for the child.

The third instance in which witnessing absent parenting taught me a lesson for my future self was at a hotel restaurant. At a relatively small dining hall, still almost empty in the early hours of operation, save for a handful of people. As we returned from the buffet, a father and daughter sat at a large table not far away from ours, waiting for a larger party. They were early and the daughter was bored. Out came the iPad. And then came the noise. Since it was still relatively early, the iPad's noise echoed in the dining hall. Yes, we asked for it to be turned off, but the problem was that the dad was also on a device, oblivious to the volume of his child's iPad.

The lesson here is to recognize the time and place for screen time.

At a restaurant, early in the morning, bring your child something to color with, or a few small toys to play with on the table or bring some arts and crafts like sticker books. There are so many options out there, that the screen should be the last option for dinner-table entertainment.

I understand that parenting is hard. I've seen the way children interact with their parents when they are unhappy and I don't blame parents for using technology as a distraction. It's easy and provides the child with immediate satisfaction. My worry here is the amount of time children spend exposed to screens, not only for health reasons but also because it limits their interaction with humans. Vital learning opportunities are being missed while a kid is on a screen, being held captive.