Haven't signed into your Scholastic account before?
Teachers, not yet a subscriber?
Subscribers receive access to the website and print magazine.
You are being redirecting to Scholastic's authentication page...
Announcements & Tutorials
Explore Primary Sources
How Students and Families Can Log In
1 min.
Setting Up Student View
Sharing Articles with Your Students
2 min.
Interactive Activities
4 min.
Sharing Videos with Students
Using Upfront with Educational Apps
5 min.
Join Our Facebook Group!
Exploring the Archives
Powerful Differentiation Tools
3 min.
World and U.S. Almanac & Atlas
Subscriber Only Resources
Access this article and hundreds more like it with a subscription to The New York TImes Upfront magazine.
Article Options
Presentation View
Ethical Dilemma
iko/Shutterstock.com
Is It OK to Text During Meals?
Often I have meals with pals who have their phones out the whole time: scrolling and texting, chatting with me, and eating at the same time. I don’t like it. Can I get them to tone it down? —Ali, City Withheld
ANSWER: Possibly. I too find it annoying when people can’t commit to me without phone checks. Every glance fractures the conversation. I’m not shy about speaking up: “Let’s put away our phones. They’re distracting.” Some people can oblige, while others experience phantom phone pain. Here’s the thing: We can be in the moment with someone or on the lookout for moments to post. Many folks try to do both, but multitasking is a slippery slope.
—Adapted from “Social Q’s” in The New York Times Magazine