My analog summer as a teenager.

11 OFFline activities for everyone to enjoy.

There is something about a black screen… Mesmerising, entrancing, seducing, just the right weight, size, shape to hold in your hand for minutes and hours on end. Who could live without it?

I can. And so can you.

I was born on the cusp of the smartphone era, which, over the years, has entered the lives, and hands, of approximately 90% of adults in America (worldwide smartphone usage is about 60%). Not to mention all the young children who occasionally use their parent’s phones for games, some of them even unable to yet read. Becoming slimmer, more entertaining, and an utter lifeline for most people (especially my age group, as well as those in their 20’s,) it feels like something you can’t go without. Not even for a day.

Here in Romania, most kids get a phone of their own when they are in the fifth grade, which they basically need for school (really, they do! to receive assignments and do homework on) - not to mention the peer pressure that makes them feel like they aren’t “grown up” or cool if they do not have their own smartphone by a certain age.

There’s just something about it, the dopamine boost, that very few can say no to. And I don’t blame them at all. The smartphone was designed just for this.

I, too, have had my share of tech, spending time with kids my own age and older, who run to their phones any chance they get to check if they got a message, which quickly escalates to them playing video games or looking at social media for hours. This whole phone thing, though, never really called my name.

I have a laptop that I love and cherish, which I use for many things… I use it mindfully, for learning, writing, gathering inspiration for my art, and sometimes for watching movies in the evenings.

However it is not the main focus in my day to spend lots of time on it, and I honestly can go a very long time without even thinking about it. I’d rather be drawing than scrolling for hours and hours. Here’s an interesting statistic: kids between the ages of 8-10 spend 6 hours in front of a screen per day. Kids between the ages of 11-14 spend 9 hours on a device daily, and kids between the ages of 15-18 years spend around 7 hours on a screen each day.

According to this, my age group spends literally half of their awake hours with a device in their hand. (I am almost 15, but based off of my own experience with like-aged peers, I can testify to this being true.)

I know it sounds like beating a dead horse to say that phones are bad. They are - depending on how you use them. HOWEVER, the way we let technology take over our lives is far worse.

I, and other people who love nature and a simpler life, are different from most human beings in the sense that we don’t care to be up-to-date all-the-time. That is why, this summer, I am choosing to go analog. Will you join me?