‘Smartphones not turning kids into digital zombies’

dubai — Whether mobile technology is harming children and adolescents was a topic of discussion at the seventh annual Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF 2019), a Varkey Foundation initiative.

Hosting a session on the rising adoption rates of smartphones, Candice Odgers, a professor of the University of California Irvine, highlighted key findings regarding the effects of new technologies on children, social relationships and health, using information gathered directly from young people’s mobile phones.

Odgers said many claim that the increased rate of kids going online is causing harmful issues such as addiction, depression, losing skills and being disconnected. However, such claims were not supported by evidence.

The facts, based on studies, are telling a different story. A recent large-scale big data study on the link between mental health and technology usage — involving over 300,000 adolescents — found only a one per cent association with smartphone use.

A second research followed 2,000 students and also found no association between smartphone use and the student’s mental health and wellbeing. In fact, the study found that adolescents felt an overall better mental health association when they were more connected on a given day.

Both studies indicated that there is no association between mental health and technology and that friendship online is similar to those offline. These also showed that kids are not addicted to technology but are connecting with their friends. The studies also found that kids struggling with mental health felt better when they went online.

Odgers concluded that it doesn’t appear that kids are becoming digital zombies. Today there are higher rates of graduation, as rates of teen pregnancy and substance abuse are decreasing — both of which are positive indicators.

She also said these findings do not mean we should stop worrying about technology, but that it should not be the only blame. The focus on technology and smartphones distracts experts from other issues that might be the cause of mental health issues.

She stressed that there needs to be a focus on bridging the traditional digital divide and ensure that digital experiences are positive and can nurture the educational, growth process.