"Your child will never know the world where eyes met before notifications did."
◼️ 92% of conversations now happen without a single facial cue (WHO, 2025)
◼️ "Physical touch deprivation" is now a clinically recognized disorder
◼️ The average person goes 17 hours/day without meaningful eye contact
"We've built a world where 'connection' means being alone... together."
Pre-2010: Friends memorized each other's facial expressions
2025: We recognize avatars better than real smiles
The Cost: Mirror neurons are atrophying in Gen Alpha
"Your phone can recognize your face. When did you stop recognizing theirs?"
Human touch is becoming:
→ Medically scarce (Hospitals use VR for comfort care)
→ Legally risky (Schools ban teacher hugs)
→ Commercially packaged (Cuddle therapists charge $120/hour)
Last year, 68% of "I love yous" were texted, not spoken
Voice messages now come with "skip to end" buttons
Tragic Irony: We've never had more ways to connect... or felt more disconnected
PHASE 1: SABOTAGE THE SYSTEM
▸ Touch one human daily (Handshake/hug/high-five)
▸ Call instead of texting when emotions are involved
PHASE 2: REWILD YOUR SENSES
▸ Practice "deep looking" (10 sec of uninterrupted eye contact)
▸ Go analog one meal per day (No screens, just faces)
PHASE 3: PLANT SEEDS
▸ Teach a child how to read micro-expressions
▸ Start "vulnerability challenges" in your circle
"They're deleting human warmth one update at a time.
Your move."
"This took 47 minutes to write.
That's 47 minutes no algorithm gave you.
Pass it on — the old-fashioned way."
This isn't nostalgia — it's neuroscience. Your brain literally needs what we're losing.
The most rebellious act? Putting this down and touching grass.
Ashborn
Support dialog
