Why Delay Smartphones (copied from Notting Hill)
#1. Smartphone Addiction
Recent research reveals that smartphone dependence triggers addictive brain responses akin to those seen in alcohol, drug, and gambling addiction¹. Smartphones act like mini slot machines in your child's pocket, constantly urging them for more screen time². Tech companies intentionally design apps and social media platforms to keep users hooked for extended periods, as that's how they profit.
#2. Academic Distraction
Elementary and middle school are crucial for building the foundation of academic success. Children learn valuable skills like time management, project handling, and homework discipline during these years. Introducing a smartphone as a constant distraction could lead to subpar academic performance. Early findings from a National Institute of Health brain development study³ indicate that children spending over two hours a day on screens score lower on cognitive tests. Research from the University of Texas suggests that even the mere presence of smartphones reduces cognitive capacity and test performance.
#3. Altering Young Brains
Initial results from a groundbreaking National Institute of Health study³ indicate significant brain differences in children who use smartphones, tablets, and video games for over seven hours daily. Excessive screen time appears to cause premature thinning of the cortex, the brain's outermost layer responsible for processing sensory information.
#4. Sleep Impairment
Studies show that smartphones and other screen devices impact the quantity and quality of children's sleep⁴ Anticipating texts and social media messages disrupts adolescents' nighttime routines. Some even wake up in the middle of the night to check their phones. Childhood sleep disturbance leads to adverse health effects, including poor diet, obesity, weakened immunity, stunted growth, and mental health issues⁵.
#5. Behavioural Consequences
Recent research led by UC San Francisco reveals that tweens who spend more time on screens have a higher likelihood of developing disruptive behaviour disorders⁶. Social media, in particular, exerts a strong influence, with conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder being common outcomes.
#6. Strained Relationships
Many parents rue the day they handed their child a smartphone, as it wreaks havoc on parent-child relationships. The constant distraction leads to inattentiveness, and face-to-face interactions decline as children invest more time in online "friendships."
#7. Anxiety and Depression Risk
Children are ill-equipped to navigate the complex world of social media at an early age. Comparing their lives to others' highlight reels on social media often breeds feelings of inadequacy. Research indicates that increased social media use is linked to higher levels of depression⁷, and platforms like Facebook can worsen one's mood⁸. Additionally, excessive technology use can lead to raised cortisol levels, hindering children from feeling calm and potentially causing anxiety disorders⁹. Alarmingly, suicide rates among girls aged 10 to 14 have tripled in the past 15 years¹⁰.
#8. Cyberbullying Risk
Bullying has expanded from the playground to the digital realm. Bullies target children through social media and texts, making escape nearly impossible. About one in four children has experienced cyberbullying, with phone ownership at a young age increasing the risk¹¹.
#9. Exposure to Sexual Content
Smartphones grant children easy access to explicit content¹². Pornography marketers target youth online, and a significant percentage of young internet users have encountered online pornography unintentionally. Moreover, children are increasingly engaging in sexting, and some apps expose them to sexual predators.
#10. Link to Eating Disorders
Recent research¹³ highlights that spending more time on social media is a risk factor for developing eating disorders. Social media platforms provide access to content such as weight loss challenges and unhealthy diets, contributing to the rising number of younger individuals, including tweens, suffering from eating disorders.
Worth Knowing: The Tech Execs' Approach
It's reported¹⁴ that top execs at Google, Facebook, eBay, Apple, and Yahoo delay giving their children smartphones until age 14, with data plans coming at 16. If these tech leaders, who thrive on technology's success, are cautious about smartphones for their own children, perhaps it's a cue for the rest of us to consider a similar approach.
References.
[1] Hu Y., Long X., Lyu H., Zhou Y., Chen J. Alterations in White Matter Integrity in Young Adults with Smartphone Dependence. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 2017;11:532. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00532.
[4] Demirci, K., Akgönül, M., and Akpinar, A. (2015). Relationship of smartphone use severity with sleep quality, depression, and anxiety in university students. J. Behav. Addict. 4, 85–92. doi: 10.1556/2006.4.2015.010
[5] Van den Bulck, J. (2007). Adolescent use of mobile phones for calling and for sending text messages after lights out: results from a prospective cohort study with a one-year follow-up. Sleep 30, 1220–1223. doi: 10.1093/sleep/30.9.1220
[11] https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/10323
[13] https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/11/fashion/steve-jobs-apple-was-a-low-tech-parent.html
We feel phone lockers in school are not enough. Education quality and kids wellbeing are still being impacted when kids are back on the smartphone outside the school gates.
What do we want the schools to do?
Come out with a strong recommendation to parents not to give children a smartphone or social media account untll at least 14-16 years old. Adopt an acceptable use of screens policy similar to this school so homework doesn't depend on having a smartphone. Wimbledon schools to come out with a statement similar to Southwark.
Please refer to guides below where you can find exemplary policies from other schools.