By the way . . .

we are ALL hooked on a digital drug

FOR the past five weeks I have been living in a house without Wifi or satellite TV. For both parents and children it’s been a new experience.

Wifi has become the holy grail in our village. For adults, the village pub has a connection so those who work remotely, can ahem, attempt to do that.

For most of the day, however, we have no signal and we have to manage by having actual conversations, reading books and newspapers and, you know, not having our noses stuck to a smartphone or laptop.

These days, we are all addicted to being online. Personally, I don’t have an out of office email — something my husband lectures me about. Presenteeism, as the Americans call it, is the curse of the modern age. We are on call 24/7 and we seem to be addicted to being needed.

Then there’s the constant browsing; the news updates, the sneak peeks at new season fashion, the weather forecast predictions. We Instagram our dinner, upload our nights out and initiate countless nonessential conversations by phone and text message.

Our offspring are also deeply affected. They are living in a virtual world and would rather spend time gaming or watching YouTube than sit with the family. They have sensory overload, something which can translate into poor sleep, bad moods and an inability to concentrate.

Research shows that long term screen use in childhood and adolescence has long term consequences. The internet is a digital drug. And these are the downsides before you even transgress the issues of bullying, grooming and pornography. It’s a cyber cesspit.

Being in a Wifi free zone has been admittedly frustrating, but also but very liberating. It’s taught me to take a step back and I understand that if I want to set an example, I need to encourage my children to do the same. We have some new house rules and limiting phone use is a big part of it.

I’m personally savouring the freedom of not being connected — and getting back to the real world.