Our attention is finite and valuable. And it’s nearing its breaking point. In a new book, MSNBC host Chris Hayes explains how everything—from politics to media to technology—has come to revolve around the pursuit of it and how we’ve lost control of where we actually want our attention to go. Read more about Hayes’ book The Sirens’ Call: How Attention Became the World’s Most Endangered Resource at The Atlantic here. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Subscribe today at TheAtlantic.com/podsub. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When my parents are on the phone,
it usually makes me feel like really bored and like makes me want to do something
because I don't really have anything to do
and I'm kind of just like sitting there and like watching them on the phone.
And what do you think about the amount of time that dad and I.
Spend on the phone?
Well, I think like when they had landlines and stuff,
you wouldn't spend too much more time on the phone and you would spend it on other,
other types of devices.
But now since it's all in the phone,
so you wouldn't really be seeing like your parents like on a computer.
You'd only see them doing that for like work or something.
That's our executive producer, Claudina Baid and her daughter.
We're hearing from them because when we talk about screen time or how phones are manipulating us,
it's often adults talking about kids.
But of course it goes the other way too.
Every kid is engaged in a kind of battle for their parents attention.
This is Chris Hayes, my guest this week.
I mean, I think every kid notices how distracted parents are by the phone.
Who's the meanest to you about it?