Effects of Technology

How technology is observed today:

We’re thought of our family, friends, significant others to be our closest companions, but is technology taking that place? We’ve become so accustomed to our phones, computers and being that we have such a strong urge to constantly check any type of technology available to us, causes a cycle in which, unless one steps away from technology, they’ll be unable to see the drastic affect it has on our lives today.
Phones started as a simple means to communicate with people whom were far from you. Now, phones are handheld and behold in them, many unnecessary apps, games, used to kill time. We now use phones for much more than just contacting people that are not with us physically. 
Personally, I find it quite uncomfortable when i’m with an individual and they’re on their phone. A while ago, I was out with my coworkers at Ihop, late at night. We all proceeded to sit down and naturally, conversate with one another. After with what seemed to be only five minutes, someone picked up their phone. A cycle then occurs. Everyone is now on their phone. When I tell everyone they should get off their phones, one of my male coworkers thinks i’m being silly. Of course, he’s never found technology to be a problem, so why would he find it to be a problem now? I go on to explain how conversation strikes when we aren’t looking at our screen. This seems like an obvious fact but, there’s more to it. Every 1 second look at our screen, decreases the chance of an in depth conversation to take place. Conversations only tend to be in depth when all of the individuals involved are interested in the topic. You can’t hold interest when you keep glancing at your phone screen to see who texted you. It is a fact that conversation proves to be minimal when our phones are present. We’re focused on something that’s physically not with us, deciding to be somewhere else, which in turn takes away what it means to be a human being. When we choose not to live in the present moment, we aren’t living at all. 
When I wanted to post something for example, the thought that preceded instead of merely enjoying the moment was the thought of what others would think. The emotions and feelings that went through me in the present moment were not at all visible because I was too focused on what people would think about my experience after I had posted the picture or video. We step away from the present moment to think about what others will think. When, the present moment is where all of the joy will be. 
The use of handheld technological devices will always be a problem unless we create a rising demand for modern, yet minimal devices. What do you think?