No smartphones before high school
By delaying smartphone ownership, we can give our kids a more balanced childhood that allows them to develop the social, emotional, and cognitive skills necessary for healthy adolescence and adulthood.
Flip phones or basic phones can provide necessary communication without the distractions and potential harms associated with smartphones.
Adolescents and smartphones
-
Brain Development
Haidt emphasizes that the adolescent brain is still undergoing significant development, particularly in areas related to emotional regulation, impulse control, and decision-making.
Introducing smartphones at a younger age can disrupt this development, making teens more vulnerable to addiction, distraction, and negative social comparison.
-
Social and Emotional Development
Haidt argues that real-world interactions are crucial for developing social and emotional skills.
Early smartphone use can displace face-to-face interactions, hindering the development of empathy, communication, and conflict resolution skills.
-
Mental Health
Studies have linked early smartphone use to increased rates of anxiety, depression, and sleep problems in adolescents.
Delaying smartphone ownership can protect children from these potential negative impacts on their mental well-being.
-
Academic Performance
Smartphones can be a major source of distraction for students, leading to decreased focus and academic performance.
By waiting until high school, Haidt suggests that students can establish better study habits and time management skills before being exposed to the constant distractions of smartphones.
-
Digital Literacy
Haidt proposes that delaying smartphone ownership until high school allows parents and educators to teach children digital literacy skills in a more structured and age-appropriate way.
This can help teens develop a healthier relationship with technology and make more informed choices about their online behavior.
Watches that provide two-way voice calling
Block or flip phones
Smart(er) phones that provide helpful apps like a calculator, but are not internet connected. The trap here is that each child thinks they need a smartphone because “everyone else” has one, and many parents give in because they don’t want their child to feel excluded. But if no one else had a smartphone—or even if, say, only half of the child’s sixth-grade class had one—parents would feel more comfortable providing a basic flip phone (or no phone at all). Delaying round-the-clock internet access until ninth grade (around age 14) as a national or community norm would help to protect adolescents during the very vulnerable first few years of puberty.
Smartphone Alternatives
You might be wondering: how can I give my child the freedom they’re ready for if we can’t keep in touch? The Wait Until 8th organization suggests some great alternatives to smart phones, such as:
