Touch Some Grass: An Open Letter to Lawrenceville

Students with their necks craned downwards while scrolling across the bright blue lights of their cell phone screen is an all too familiar sight at Lawrenceville. At the tables of the Tsai dining center, on the bus to a game, while lounging on the common room sofa, and even tucked under the Harkness table in class, phones appear everywhere in our daily lives. Here at Lawrenceville, phones are commonplace. Although these omnipresent devices seem essential for communication, they ultimately detract from human relationships. They break us away from the present, causing us to lose out on the potential relationships and connections that really matter. Technology, despite its merits, serves to change us, distract us, and divide us. To create a stronger school community, things need to change. 

As the speaker from this Thursday’s school meeting, Max Stossel, made clear, technology is designed to take advantage of us. We are conditioned to click, swipe, scroll and like—even when the content does not interest us. This addiction to technology—the inability to take our eyes off of a screen—slowly eats away at one's personality. By design, technology is meant to hook and trap us in an endless spiral of cat videos, potentially dangerous “5 Minute Crafts” clips, and crazy conspiracy theorists. A notification’s colors and sound effects, as well as the curated content of social media, keep us endlessly clicking, scrolling, and tapping. Although it may not seem like it, the content we consume divides us; it takes away from the reality of our lives and destroys our relationships with one another.

All this is not to say that technology is not also amazing. Its capabilities are boundless, pushing the limits of human thought, medicine, science, and the arts. Social media has the great power to connect humans from across the world; it gives a voice to the silenced, a platform to advocate for any personal beliefs with a limitless audience. Social media can empower us, allow us to better our world. But blindly using it– endlessly scrolling through Instagram, morphing our faces and bodies, and staring at it first thing in the morning and right before we go to bed– threatens to rid our lives and the lives of the people and communities around us of real world connections. 

To create a better Lawrenceville, community members need to acknowledge the problem–the high screen times and the Snap streaks that far supersede any physical conversation. We need to acknowledge that Lawrenceville would be a far better place when we recognize the impacts of social media and technology, and prioritize our physical connections over digital ones. This can be accomplished by eliminating the use of phones in the classroom, establishing boundaries on social media, and creating a conducive environment for learning and growing. Phone baskets placed outside classrooms would make Harkness discussions more vibrant. Students without the distraction of their phones in their pockets will be more inclined to participate in class, allowing us to hear more perspectives. Instead of scrolling through TikTok, pick up a novel from the hundreds at The Bunn Library. Unwind at the new volleyball courts, not on  Brawl Stars. There are actionable steps students can take to be more responsible technology users, and in turn, better humans. 

Breaking free from the bounds of technology allows for our connections to blossom and for us to see the vibrancy of life. It is a community effort—a mission our entire school must partake in. So put down your phones and pick up your heads. Enjoy the bus rides, sports games, and meals that make life so beautiful. We are more than the pictures that line our Instagram profiles and the streaks that we diligently upkeep on Snapchat. Take a walk around campus, “touch the grass,” and learn to live a life that doesn’t rely on technology. Don’t be a pawn for advertisers to use– be the hero of your own story. There is so much more to life than what lies in a 2x6 screen—so learn to live it.