Cross Country Checkup

What does a digital detox mean for you?

Mobile apps, online shopping, social media, streaming services — can you imagine yourself living a life unplugged?

Do you need a break from your computer or smartphone?

Is it time for you to put down your cellphone for a digital detox? (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

Digital detox

I was in the middle of a quarrel with my teenage son over reducing his screen time when it dawned on me: the pot was calling the kettle black.

From the moment I got my smartphone, it became an extension of my body.

As soon as my eyes fluttered open in the morning, I checked news and emails — even before heeding nature's call. I was on my phone all day at work, and when I lay down to sleep, I was scrolling Twitter in bed.

I wondered if the constant connectivity was turning me into the Borg, those terrifying mash-ups of man and machine in Star Trek, linked together by their collective hive mind.

It was time to look in the mirror and ask an embarrassing question: Am I so addicted to my smartphone that I need a digital detox?

What about you? On this lovely long weekend are you going tech-free to spend quality time with friends and family?