The answer is ‘yes’. Smartphone does help you get connected with your friends, but are you aware of the dark side of this technology? It is the virus, the virtual virus. TV, smartphone, games, YouTube, Facebook, and all other social networking and online chatting platforms are infected with virtual virus. And smartphone is the main channel through which this virtual virus spreads.

This virus is making us addicted to outside artificial stimulators that we get using different apps, and thus we enter a virtual world full of fake happiness. It keeps us far away from taking the responsibilities in our real lives. Parents, nowadays, use smartphone/tabs as a universal remedy of all challenges in raising their kids. Having trouble feeding/teaching/controlling behavior of a child? Well, get them hooked on videos/games in phones and tabs. This way we are avoiding responsibilities and making our kids dumber and addicted.

Staying away from smartphone-addiction may seem hard for you. Because smartphone as a device and the apps in it are made addictive for the commercial purposes. Many former executives of technology companies recently admitted their destructive strategies of getting people addicted to devices. Surely, we don’t want to let a device control our mind.

How can we take control back over our smartphone addiction?

First, cut down almost 90% use of smartphone by simply deleting addictive apps like Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, etc.

Second, limit the use of smartphone in our personal lives and within family. Only education apps can be kept in a phone.

Third, to save our kids from virtual virus, parents need to communicate more with their kids, get them more involved in social activities. Let us strictly restrict our children’s use of smartphone until they become 18 years old.

Fourth, let us make lots of books available to our kids, not smartphones, iPads, etc. Steve Jobs was used to have his all kids together in the evening meal and discuss about books and history of different subjects. YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki encourages her children to play outside and read books. Twitter’s ex-Chairman and ex-CEO Evan Williams purchased hundreds of books instead of iPad for his children.

Fifth, meditation is the best way to take control over our mind. It helps us overcome any addiction. Let us meditate regularly so that we can take control of our personal, professional, family and other areas of life.