Cell phones used to be the universal status symbol, necessary to making your child “cool” among friends. Now they are indispensable to their safety, to promote their technological literacy, and to keep parents informed of their whereabouts. Or are they? Multiple studies show school children’s screen time use leads to misconduct, hyperactivity, and inattention. Increased use of tech is associated with lethargy, obesity, depression, insomnia, and social isolation.
Emily Cherkin, a middle school teacher, observed the presence of smartphones transforming the lives of her students. Now her job is a screen-time consultant, educating parents about their dangers. “I have talked to hundreds of parents,” Cherkin reports, “and no one has ever said to me, ‘I wish I gave my kid a phone earlier’ or ‘I wish I’d given them social media access sooner.’ Never.”
Smartphones, social media, and video games intensify dopamine (a forceful “feel good” hormone) inside a child’s brain, addictively luring their attention to the screen like a magnet. Th e child’s brain is deceived into believing that this activity is supremely critical, more urgent than the desire for other activities that inspire smaller spikes, such as scholastic success, or playing outside with friends. Teens also tend to develop anxiety and depressive symptoms with excessive screen use. Th e prevalence of unrealistic airbrushed and altered bodies and unachievable social successes encourages kids to despair of achieving the same standard themselves or in a romantic partner.
