When we were young children, there was a lot of communication at home between all generations. Children would play among themselves, and take their problems to the elders for solutions. Meal times were family time where everyone would sit and eat together. The elders would teach them good manners and moral values.
However, with the change of time and the recent addition of mobile phones, social media, Reels and Instagram stories, everything has undergone a sea of change.
As it is, families are mostly nuclear with 3-4 members in the house and everyone possesses a mobile phone, even a 6-year-old. This has led to a big disconnect between the family and society as a whole.
Every relationship is now virtual but in reality, there is no relationship. So many times we actively participate in appreciating or communicating with someone virtually but on seeing them in person, not even a ‘Hello’!
I have seen this in a lot of homes of friends & family in Suncity as well. “In my own home, to call our children to the dining table for food, one uses a mobile phone. “Khana Lag Gaya hai!” says a resident.
As we move towards more technology, AI and what not, some focus on human interaction, family interaction and more importantly community interaction is the need of the hour and this can happen when we give our Social Media and OTT platforms a downtime!
If our children grow up in this sort of environment, their social skills in the real world will be zilch and that will be a huge problem for their self-development.
