WHATSAPP, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Are they destroying human social interaction between people?

Everywhere I go I see people staring intensely into their mobile digital devices sometimes putting their lives at risk when driving or walking along the pavement and crossing the road.

I am concerned the human race is becoming obsessed in a digital manner with what other people are doing to the extent that we are losing the ability to communicate verbally.

Even sat in a coffee shop which by right should be a place to talk and socialise, people are all looking down at these mobile devices.

It is a slow downward spiral to relationships and families breaking up when people don’t talk or verbally share their lives anymore.

I find this sad and these social media apps have contributed to destroying human interaction even in some cases leading to egging people on to take their lives with certain group chats on suicide/self-harm etc.

These apps can also be responsible for stalking behaviour in some cases.

I used to have a Facebook account and found it was taking up quite a bit of my time when I realised my quality of life was going to diminish and I questioned myself “What have I achieved today?”

Maybe we need to detox by having a day or a week without using any form of digital technology like they do with Dry January after Christmas.

Colin Telfer, Darlington.