One night we were out at dinner, and I watched my daughter spend most of the meal switching between videos, selfies, and YouTube.
At one point I looked around the restaurant and realized almost every kid was doing the same thing.
Heads down.
Eyes glued to screens.
Parents trying to talk.
Everyone physically present.
Nobody fully there.
That was the moment something clicked for me.
Maybe we weren’t preserving memories anymore.
Maybe we were slowly replacing experiences with screens.
And some child-development experts have raised concerns about excessive screen exposure and how it may affect attention, creativity, and real-world play.
Less patience.
Less curiosity.
Less imagination.
Less presence.
One psychologist described the concern like this:
“Children can become used to fast digital stimulation, which may make slower real-world moments feel less engaging.”
That line stayed in my head for days.
Because it felt very close to what I was seeing at home.