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WE ALL SCROLL ON

Re Put Me Down… …Now! (Opinion, July 24): I will never forget watching an adult with a barely walking child. As the child toddled along, the man continually read from his phone.

I was saddened by the loss of this rich opportunity to interact. School buses, smells, puppies, flowers, colours, sunshine and so much more – it could have been so much fun for both.

Children can learn so much, and are worth their parents’ attention when spending time together.

I hope that as pandemic restrictions lift, we will not allow phones to take away time and interactions with the people we love.

Karen Stewart Selwyn, Ont.

I spent much of my life researching the use of telecommunications technologies. Not surprisingly, I agree with much of what contributor Benjamin Leszcz writes. The cellphone has become the stimulus-response demon of the 21st century. If one doesn’t answer right away, the other party wonders what is wrong.

Little thought is given to interactions, and consequently people are saying or texting things they often regret later.

The concept of contemplation appears to be disappearing. That is a pity, as most great ideas require a considerable period of gestation. Where is my cellphone now? In the top drawer of my dresser, to be used on special occasions.

Dave Conrath Burlington, Ont.

Avoiding the malign influence of the smartphone is simple: Just don’t have one. I have a landline with a message machine and a flip phone that I carry for emergencies.

YouTube surfing? A computer does the trick.

Geoff Rytell Toronto

Re Open House (Opinion, July 24): When he heard that comic artist Connor Willumsen had a page in The Globe and Mail, our 22-year-old son trekked to a Montreal Multimags store to buy a paper. He spent part of Saturday on McGill University’s McLennanRedpath Terrace with it, later lecturing his parents on cellphone use based on what he read in the rest of the Opinion section.

Thanks to Mr. Willumsen for helping a young person discover the joys of reading a newspaper.

Jennifer Hambleton and David Collier Hamilton

EDITORIAL

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2021-07-31T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-07-31T07:00:00.0000000Z

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