Likely Normal

A growing movement of anti-screen-time activists has taken to social media—yes, social media—to decry the dangers of digital addiction. Their posts warn about smartphones destroying attention spans, video games eroding social skills, and streaming services killing real human connection. There’s just one problem: They can’t seem to stop using the very technologies they’re protesting.

The Hypocrisy in Action

• A parenting influencer with 200K TikTok followers posts daily rants about “screen-free childhoods”—while her kids sit ignored in the background, watching Cocomelon on an iPad.
• A self-proclaimed “digital minimalist” writes long LinkedIn essays about quitting social media… from his iPhone, between doomscrolling sessions.
• A wellness guru hosts Zoom workshops on “reclaiming real-world connection,” then sends attendees a *20-page PDF* and a link to her Patreon.

Why This Keeps Happening

Psychologists call it “the participation paradox”—the inability to critique a system without engaging in it. Activists need Instagram to tell people to quit Instagram. They need Twitter to explain why Twitter is toxic. And they definitely need YouTube to post their TED-style talks about how YouTube is rotting our brains.

The Real Victims? Their Families.

• While these reformers lecture the world about presence, their own households suffer:
• A spouse complains their partner is “always on the phone preaching about phone addiction.”
• Kids roll their eyes as Mom records her “screen-free parenting” vlog—for the 14th take.
• A family dog has learned to nudge its owner’s laptop shut during yet another “log off and live” webinar.

The Only Way Out?

Maybe the solution isn’t another anti-tech rant posted online. Maybe it’s actually putting the phone down—not to make a point, but to live the point. Until then, the movement will keep growing… one viral tweet at a time.