Kids: Addicted to Smartphones – Let’s Do Something About It!

/in /by

Raise your hand if you are concerned about how much time your teen spends on their smartphone. My guess is that if you have a teen (or preteen), your hand went up. So what do we, as parents, do about it, and where can we turn for help?

Is there a social responsibility on the part of technology companies to study what this is doing to the mental health of our youth? To go beyond studying it, but to provide parents with education and tools they need to help kids when they are unable to help themselves?

At least one group recently asked and answered this question with a resounding “YES.” In an open letter to Apple, Inc., a group of shareholders who jointly own $2 billion in Apple stock, have called on Apple to take the lead in paying special attention to the health and development of our next generation. After all, they are the leaders. Apple has provided devices that keep our kids connected, informed, entertained, enthralled and some say addicted, to online information and social media.

The open letter points to research that shows troubling trends. Teachers report that students are more distracted, their ability to focus has decreased and the number of students with social challenges has increased. Additionally, as the time spent on electronic devices increases, the risk of depression, sleep deprivation and the risk factor for suicide also increases.

No one is denying the many benefits and advantages of this connectivity and even the benefits of social media. Nor can we, or the big contributors to this industry, deny the pitfalls and potential damaging effects that are present.

Have parents just surrendered, throwing their hands up in frustration? “Technology! Social media! I just don’t get it!” We, as parents, do bear some responsibility.

  • We need to be involved with our kids.
  • We need to watch what they are doing online and where they are.
  • We need to set good examples through our own use of technology and social media.
  • We need to ask questions, even the tough ones, when we see something on the phones or social media accounts that we deem questionable.
  • We need to ask questions about who or what they are following online, or who is following them.

But we need help. So we turn to Apple, and the other big players in this field, and ask for assistance. Help us. Provide us the tools, in a centralized location, to monitor and limit our kids’ use of their devices. Help us explain to them the potential negative effects of staring at their phones for hours on end, day after day after day.

Key findings from a Common Sense Media survey of parents and teens include:

  • Addiction: One out of every two teens feels addicted to his or her device, and the majority of parents feel that their kids are addicted.
  • Frequency: 72% of teens and 48% of parents feel the need to immediately respond to texts, social-networking messages, and other notifications; 69% of parents and 78% of teens check their devices at least hourly.
  • Distraction: 77% of parents feel their children get distracted by their devices and don’t pay attention when they’re together at least a few times per week.
  • Conflict: 36% of parents and 32% of teens say they argue with each other on a daily basis about device use.
  • Risky behavior: 56% of parents admit they check their mobile devices while driving; 51% of teens see their parents checking/using their mobile devices when driving.

Technology companies have helped to provide a way to open our kids’ minds and their worlds to different cultures, music from spanning generations, the ability to communicate with kids their age across the globe, to stay in touch with relatives, to access a recipe at the touch of a few buttons, to showcase their talents and many other educational and social benefits, and for that we say “thank you.”

Kids are smart, smarter than ever these days.  They know what they want and need.  They just don’t always know how to get there. So, we ask the technology companies, yes, Apple, we start with asking you, to commit resources to this end. Help us to help the next generation of thinkers, innovators, creative and brilliant minds, the generation that believes they can do anything, to help provide the tools we need to help them reach their full potential.