I visited Universal Studios and people were on their phones everywhere—even rollercoasters: That habit is 'really hard to break,' expert says

CNBC

3 days ago

In May, my boyfriend and I spent a day at Universal Studios in Orlando. It was my first time at the park since I was 11.
We drank butterbeer, ate a chocolate frog and popped into the Frying Dutchman in Springfield. We strolled through Hollywood's Walk of Fame, rode a boat and saw dinosaurs and visited E.T.'s home planet. It was epic.
It was also sensory overload. Visiting Universal means attractions, activities, rides, junk food and people dressed up as characters all of the time, everywhere — it was very overwhelming.
By the end of the day, my body was tired from all the walking and my brain was tired from processing.
I couldn't imagine a more stimulating place, but it turns out that for many of my fellow park-goers it was not enough.
Everywhere we went, people were on their phones. They were texting in the lazy river at the hotel and scrolling on the bus ride over to the park. People were even glued to their screens on the rides themselves, and no level of excitement could compete.
When I got back from my trip, I reached out to Gloria Mark, professor of informatics at the University of California, Irvine, and author of "Attention Span," to find out why people just can't pull themselves away even at a place as stimulating as Universal Studios — and what it's doing to their experience.
There are lots of reasons people turn to their phones at amusement parks. They could be taking photos or making videos to post on social media, they might be messaging with friends to share their experience or reading reviews of rides before getting in line.
Whatever their reason, when people are on their phones, they are "not living the moment," Mark says.
Instead of being present with their surroundings, they're present with their screen. And that's to their detriment. By not fully taking in their experience, they're robbing themselves of "what could be a tremendous amount of fun."
I saw this firsthand on the Hogwarts Express. It's an immersive train ride where the story takes place on two sides of the train car. Two kids were bent over their phones the entire time.
One man was even recording himself while on a rollercoaster.
Not only are they missing out on the present, when people are not giving the moment their full attention, "they're not able to develop memories from their experience," Mark adds.
Mark is not surprised this kind of thing happens. "Smartphones are an ingrained habit among people," she says, "not just young people, adults as well, and that's really hard to break." But there are ways to do it.
Whether you're an adult fighting your own urges or a parent taking your kids on an adventure, "leave your phone in the hotel," she says, and have your kids do the same. They'll protest. But ultimately, they'll realize it lets them focus on what's directly in front of them.
If you have to take your phone with you, say, because you're at a park abroad and need to be able to translate, make sure you're not scrolling aimlessly. Grabbing a phone can be an automatic response to boredom. Fight that urge.
"You can develop willpower by probing yourself and asking questions like, 'do I really need to use my phone right now?'" she says.