Kids + Smartphones

Setting the table: Mrs. Screens and I have four kids, including a 12-year-old girl, so we live this daily.  I believe social media and smartphones are both dangerous to kids. Social media is probably far worse, but giving a kid a smartphone is the gateway drug to social media.

How this is structured: I plan to write multiple stories around this topic.  First, I am going to focus on kids and phones.  In part two, I will cover social media.

Eight big questions re: kids and phones:
1) How are teens doing mentally?
2) What share of kids have a smartphone?
3) How much time do teens spend looking at screens?
4) Are phones making teens more social?
5) How many states have banned cell phones in schools?
6) What do teachers think about students having cell phones in class?
7) What do parents think about students having cell phones in class?
8) What can parents do to reduce the risks to their children from using phones?

Big question #1: How are teens doing mentally?

Quick answer: Kids are more likely to suffer from depression, low self-esteem, bleak outlooks on the future, and suicidal thoughts.

Looking at the data, two other things are clear:
1) Girls way over-index with these feelings
2) Something changed around 2010…

Bottom line: The “something” that changed was giving our kids a smartphone.

Big question #2: What share of kids have a smartphone?

Smartphone ownership by age according to Common Sense Media:
1) 17 - 97%
2) 18 - 93%
3) 14 - 91%
4) 16 - 90%
5) 15 - 86%
6) 13 - 72%
7) 12 - 71%
8) 11 - 53%
9) 10 - 42%
10) 9 - 32%
11) 8 - 31%

Wow: The average child is 11 when they get their first smartphone.

Big question #3: How much time do teens spend looking at screens?

Quick answer: The average teen spends 270+ minutes daily looking at screens, accounting for 30% of their waking life!

Big question #4: Are phones making teens more social?

Quick answer: No.  The share of teens socializing (in person) with friends has declined 35% over the past 20 years.

Zoom out: Society spends less time socializing, but no age group has seen a larger decline than 15-24-year-olds.

Big question #5: How many states have banned cell phones in schools?

Cell phone ban in schools by state, according to Axios:
1) Banned or restricted - 8
2) Legislation introduced - 11
3) Policy proposal - 10

Big question #6: What do teachers think about students having cell phones in class?

Quick answer: 90% of teachers support banning phones during instructional time.

Big question #7: What do parents think about students having cell phones in class?

Quick answer: 68% support a ban during instructional time, but 53% want their kids to have phones in school.

The reason: 91% cite fewer distractions for the ban.

Surprise, surprise: People are less supportive of a ban the younger they are.

Big question #8: What can parents do to reduce the risks to their children from using phones?

A few strategies for mitigating risks with kids and cell phones:
1) No smartphones before high school, only basic phones with no internet capability.
2) Phones before high school should be dumb (no internet, no apps)
3) No phone in the bedroom
4) All schools should be phone-free
5) Bring back unsupervised play

Quote from Scott Galloway - Professor @ NYU Stern School of Business:
“We have a rule in my house. Our boys aren't allowed to go into their rooms with their phones alone because I think this thing will can literally take a teenager, especially a teenager girl, down a rabbit hole and kind of zero to 60 really fast and then start serving her content. Oh you're worried about dieting well here's extreme dieting tips despite the fact we know you're 5’10 and 95 pounds.”