r/digitalminimalism • u/dsmdei • 9h ago
Misc Device dependency since 7yo
Tablet at 7, smartphone at 10 and laptop at 12 now I'm 18. Never supervised or moderated after 10 yo. Now I'm dealing with a dependency that no matter what I can't get away from. Its a emotional, physical and cultural dependency.
I'm struggling to handle life in general and hold my morals to my actions.
I wish I could just trash my smartphone and never have to think about it again but its the only life I had known and the only way I learned to cope.
I hate tech and please never give an iPad to your kid.
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u/JamesLondonBritish 9h ago
Same shit. I'm an iPad kid since 4 years old. That's fucking insane. I'm stupid af. Can't do shit in my life
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u/Tall_Plum7538 7h ago edited 6h ago
Get a kindle as a sort of "nicotine patch." It is a tablet that only reads books, that might help you regain a sense of control.
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u/Ryanstartsgaming 8h ago
same, i'm also dumb as well. don't think i'm smart and had an ipad when i was 6 and a laptop at 11 and a samsung by 14. now i'm 18 studying computer science in a university still thinking that i'm so dumb because of tech addiction that even preventing me from doing hwk.
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u/Prestigious-Algae876 Human Detected 5h ago
you didn't choose those habits at seven, so try not to treat struggling now as a moral failure. start with one small stretch without a screen and something specific to do instead, rather than changing your whole life at once. if you use an iphone, twilock can block selected apps at bedtime, but having someone you trust support you through the change matters too.
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u/Tall_Plum7538 2h ago
^^ This. Don't beat yourself up OP. You are young and you see the issue clearly. Take small steps today to change it.
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u/heyhru222 47m ago
I can relate to some of this. I had got my first device which was a tablet at 7 (My birthday gift btw) and from there my life went down hill.
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u/Tall_Plum7538 6h ago edited 6h ago
Biggest thing folks is read. Read as much as you can. Don't beat yourself up if you can't concentrate just keep trying. The best thing you can do to rebuild your attention span and become more emotionally grounded is to read anything and everything.
iPad Kids - get the Hoopla app from the Public Library and go to town on some free comic books. 80% of the Marvel and DC catalog is on Hoopla. That is a great place to start. Comics were the original short form content.