Maybe you’ve seen a viral image, a sea of glowing screens held high at a concert, a stadium full of fans with their phones pointed toward the action , captioned with some version of, “People aren’t living in the moment anymore; they’re watching life through a screen.”
While it’s easy to jump on this bandwagon, let’s pause and ask, “Is that really what’s happening?”
As parents and caregivers, it’s important to critically examine popular narratives before adopting them as truth, especially when they concern the habits of our youth and teens. The idea that young people (or adults, for that matter) are missing out on life because they pull out their phones to record a moment oversimplifies a far more nuanced behaviour.
Yes, people use their phones at events such as concerts, sporting events, graduations, you name it. But the notion that they’re glued to their screens for the entire experience simply doesn’t hold up – unless it’s a parent filming their child at an event. In our own anecdotal experience attending large events, it’s far more common to see phones briefly raised during key moments, a song they love, a game-winning goal, a fireworks finale. Then, they’re put away.
This isn’t people “checking out of life.” This is people curating and preserving moments that matter to them. Before cellphones, we used camcorders, polaroids, and disposable cameras.
The difference today, cellphones are just more accessible especially when it comes to youth and teens.
The desire to document and share meaningful experiences is nothing new, only the method has changed. Criticizing today’s youth for recording a video is like criticizing someone in the ’80s for taking a picture at Disneyland of family members on rides using a polaroid camera. Technology evolves, but the human need to remember and share does not.
For many, capturing a moment enhances their experience, not detracts from it. Some research has shown that taking photos can actually help cement memories. Researchers found (1):
- Actively choosing to take a photo of an experience enhanced participants’ memory for visual aspects of the experience.
- Participants who took photos remembered visual details better than those who did not.
- However, this did not enhance memory for auditory information, indicating that photo-taking focuses attention on what we see.
Another study (2) found:
“results show that having a limited number of pictures to capture may lead to pictures with increased memory value”
Why do these studies matter, it counters the narrative that taking photos or video with cellphones diminishes our experience. In fact, it shows that the act of taking a photo can often direct attention and improve memory encoding , especially when done intentionally.
To be fair, and to provide some balance, there is also research to show that photo-taking can also impair memory. (3) However, this seems to be more of an issue when pictures are not take with intention.
For teens growing up in a highly social digital world, sharing these moments is also a form of connection and identity expression. As we like to say, it more about how youth and teens are using their camera when it comes to memory, meaning, and connection.
In most cases at these events, they’re not just snapping a video for vanity, sure that sometimes happens. Instead, they’re saying, “This moment moved me , it means something to me, and I want to remember it. I want to share it with people who matter to me.”
Instead of shaming teens (or anyone) for pulling out their phones to take a picture or video, we should be asking:
- What are they capturing and why?
- How are they sharing this memory?
- What does this moment mean to them?
These questions lead to meaningful conversations about digital balance, memory-making, and presence, far more effective than finger-wagging over a 10-second video clip that they take at a concert, sporting event, or other public gathering.
Of course, we want our kids to be present. But presence doesn’t have to mean no tech, it can mean mindful and intentional tech use. Help your child think about when and why they reach for their phone. Encourage them to experience the moment first, and capture it second. Teach them that it’s okay to put the phone down, and it’s also okay to pick it up.
Being present and preserving memories aren’t mutually exclusive, they coexist, just like they always have. Once again, most teens are not missing the moment , they’re capturing it.
Digital Food For Thought
The White Hatter
Facts Not Fear, Facts Not Emotions, Enlighten Not Frighten, Know Tech Not No Tech
References
1/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28650721/
2/https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3090086
3/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2211368120301017
