Sadly for some of us this year our biggest valentine will be our phone. And not just a valentine that you give and receive, like chocolates or flowers, but they’ll also be our significant other too! It’s no wonder why we have deeper relationships with our phones than real people nowadays – they’re always by our side, they answer to our every need, and they can even make us more popular (or seem that way).

Phones have dominated our society. I know I’m guilty like the rest of us, checking my phone every five minutes to see the new snapchat story or tweets that I don’t even really care about, but I’m done with watching it take over our lives. I’m sick of missing half a movie because I’m on my phone, or getting annoyed at friends who constantly have their screen lit up in front of you. I’m sick of seeing entire families out at restaurants with their heads hung over their smartphones instead of conversing with each other. Either the exciting pieces of plastic contain earth shattering content that must be read pronto, or we are becoming less aware in the real world. Phones have become our life, and life has become the distraction.

That sounds a little dramatic, but it’s the truth. According to a CBS news video, the U.S. Air Force Academy has a class that reteaches cadets how to have a face-to-face conversation because they fear it is becoming a “lost art”. The video states that our generation is lacking basic social skills to have a conversation since we don’t practice it everyday due to technology. This should be a class that’s offered in high schools now – or even grade schools. How are we going to handle a job interview, look our boss in the eye, or even charm a blind date if we don’t have this knowledge?

Now I know phones can bring us together and help us communicate, and watching cats being jerks on Youtube is a crucial form of entertainment, yadda yadda yadda, but it’s making us miss out what’s going on in front of us. Really. Do you really think your phone is going to be the most important thing at your bedside when you’re old and have grandkids? Are you going to thank it for the beautiful life it’s given you? Maybe I’m jumping the gun, but it’s something to think about. It’s time to make it a new habit to put the phone down.