Maybe today, the smaller the screens were, the better. Maybe, in their beliefs, phones are now more worth watching than televisions. Perhaps having a phone silently makes our childhood another lost chapter—goodbye to cartoons and noon-time shows.

Growing up, I believed that having a television in your home was the greatest luxury you could enjoy. Every morning, I couldn’t help but look for the TV remote and plug in the cables to watch my favorite cartoons. At noon, my family would watch noon-time shows before our usual afternoon naps. In the evenings, we watched the news, although I often wanted to switch the channel for my own entertainment.

“Mommy, pwede po bang buksan yung TV?” “Mommy, pwede po palitan yung channel?” I used to ask my mother for permission, as if it were something valuable hanging like a luxury display on the wall, afraid I might break it while using it.

A TV was not just a TV for me—it was where all my childhood memories belonged, fitting everything onto one screen. I believed that TV was much better than smartphones. Usually, kids like to borrow their mothers' phones to watch, but I didn’t. I was loyal to TVs. Comparing their screen size and controls, TVs were definitely superior to phones.

But now, with my own phone, the TV in my home just feels like a luxury display hanging on the wall.

Using a phone feels very different from using a TV. The screen size is much smaller, the controls are unfamiliar, and using my fingers makes it more tiring. I had to teach myself how to use a phone, while everyone else had already mastered it. Fortunately, learning wasn’t too difficult, and I started using it more than ever.

My routine has changed. Every morning, I check my phone for updates on social media while waiting for it to charge so I can watch my favorite channel. At noon, my family and I no longer watch noon-time shows; instead, we scroll through reels on our phones. In the evenings, there are no more news sessions—social media now provides news tailored to our interests.

Looking at my phone, I realize I’ve become so addicted that it has replaced how I used to engage with technology as a child. On TV, I enjoyed educational videos about geography, colors, or fun simulations of instruments. But on my phone, I feed myself with video games and nonsense videos.

Whenever I see the TV, I think, “Who would watch TV when everyone relies on their phones?” Perhaps phones are the new TV—smaller, but more convenient. Interestingly, the routines around using TV and phones are similar, though what we watch has changed dramatically. It’s not the screen size or controls that have shifted, but how we grow and move on to the next chapter; that chapter changes when we own our gadgets and follow different algorithms.

And yet, the TV remains untouched. It is now simply a luxury display hanging on the wall—not because it’s expensive, but because it holds childhood memories that fit within that screen.

The Frontman