This is kind of long, but I do eventually get to my point.
So I went to lunch today at a Chinese restaurant near one of the local high schools. Among the usual crowd were about two dozen, overdressed high-schoolers. The young ladies were all in black dresses; the young men in white shirts and dress pants. I saw very few parents (or what seemed to be their parents) hanging around with them---it was just the teens, so I knew it was not a graduation crowd. Graduations are happening at the local high schools, but I think this was likely the aftermath of their Senior Awards, since Graduation is usually in the afternoon/evening.
I would label Senior Week (all the various events leading up to Graduation) as one of the happiest weeks of a young person's life. One can't help but smile when seeing these graduating seniors in all their fancy clothes. But I was increasingly horrified as I watch three full tables of graduates (maybe 28 kids) all sitting with their friends----with their faces buried in their phones. For many of these kids, this will be the last time their friend-groups will be intact. Summer jobs followed by college will send these friends to the four corners of the state or even further. Instead of enjoying one another's company as long as possible by enjoying a meal together, they're all tuning everyone out, playing with their phones on their own little worlds. I wanted to walk up and slap the phones out of their hands, then lecture them about not allowing the best times of your life to pass you by as you tap away on a stupid little phone. They will look back and wish these good times with friends had lasted longer. I doubt anyone will look back and wish they'd had more time to play with their phones.