WASHINGTON — Are you a slave to your smartphone or tablet? Ever thought about what you’re giving up so you can spend time texting, checking Facebook and surfing the Internet?
A recent story in The Washington Post told the story of a mom who admits she was addicted to her smartphone, which came at the expense of time with her children and husband.
“I wasn’t being the mom I wanted to be, or the mom they deserved,” wrote Meredith Hale.
Hale quit her phone cold turkey for a week and shared her take-aways from the experience.
WTOP talked with people in Northwest D.C. about their phone and Internet habits.
Patricia has a smartphone and says she’s given up some talking in favor of texting.
“I’ll text my sister all the time, but I never call her unless it’s something big,” Patricia says.
Rob says when he moved to D.C. in June, he decided not to get Internet service in his apartment because he had been spending too much time on his computer.
“It was cutting into more important things like spending time with friends, going out with friends, going out with family, walking my dog here,” Rob says.
What are your phone and web habits? You can join the conversation on our Facebook page or tweet your thoughts using #WTOP.