We have completely transitioned online and traditional activities have flipped upside down. 

With the technology that many of us luckily have, we can pass the time with ease. Your parents don’t scold you for the amount of time you’ve spent on your phone anymore because they are caught up watching a video on Facebook themselves. TikTok, a once annoying app, has become a place where a 30-second scroll can turn into an hour binge. Ridiculous content has become something we look forward to every morning.

You go to your kitchen, grab an everything bagel, toast it, slap some cream cheese on it, and then go on your phone for some good old YouTube content to watch while you enjoy your breakfast. Later on, you can watch some “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness” on Netflix for lunch, to watch some people with questionable ethics or maybe some “Adventure Time” on Hulu to bring back that childhood nostalgia for dinner. The main concern is that this pattern can easily sneak into our lifestyle over and over again if we allow it to.

Elements of cabin fever such as insomnia, restlessness, and irritability.

Most of us have always treated ourselves by letting go from our schedules on the weekends and hanging out with our friends instead of doing homework. We put aside assignments before because we had that immediate mentality to work on as soon as you get home.

Now that sort of push to get work done is now gone because we now have all the time in the world and it sucks. However, the downside of staying indoors is that we are relying on ourselves to regulate our screen time. Many of us have to cling to the idea that we can’t treat the stay-at-home order like it’s a break. Previously, we were able to bounce on and off our phones when we were bored. Now, it is our responsibility to regulate how much time we spend on our phones

I have a handful of apps on my phone, which include Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. They prove to me I am able to see what my friends are up to during this stressful time. Someone posts an Instagram story of them studying with music playing in the background reassures me that they are home safe. Another friend of mine posts a Snap that they are on their way home from a shift at Target and that means they are going to get some well-deserved rest. 

 This isn’t anything new really. I’ve seen a handful of parents who let their toddler in a stroller watch a YouTube Kids video on a tablet bigger than their heads. The only difference is that these parents are probably letting their kids get away with it at home. With the abundant amount of time we are now spending indoors, parents find apps to be the best option to give their kids.