SCREENS, CHILDHOOD AND THE FUTURE OF SOCIETY
My firstborn turns 5 years old next week. The “enjoy this time; they won’t stay young forever” mantra is ringing loudly in my ears.
I’ve been cognizant of his screen time since the day he was born, turning off TVs at grandparents’ houses, limiting Facetime calls and not introducing him to shows like “Sesame Street” until he was almost 2. But the older he gets, the more difficult avoiding screens has become. He often watches a show or four in the afternoons while eating a snack and “decompressing” from school.
Admittedly, there are times when he has too much screen time. He becomes erratic, overwhelmed and difficult to calm. It’s like his brain becomes “highwired” and his emotions take over. It turns out his reaction is common, and several recent studies show the negative long-term effects high exposure to screens has on children.
In his recent piece published in The Atlantic, social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt calls for a radical culture shift, claiming screen-based childhood is the main reason we’ve seen a vast increase in mental health disorders, substance abuse, isolation/loneliness and poor academic achievement over the last 20 years.
“As the oldest members of Gen Z reach their late 20s, their troubles are carrying over into adulthood,” says Haidt. “And if a generation is doing poorly — if it is more anxious and depressed and is starting families, careers and important companies at a substantially lower rate than previous generations — then the sociological and economic consequences will be profound for the entire society.”
So what happened in the 2010s that caused this seismic shift? In one word: Smartphones. Of course, it’s not the phone itself that caused the disruption. There are many psychological, relational and environmental factors at play. But the invention and overall evolution of the smartphone has specifically affected the realm of childhood and the proper ingredients children need for development.
“The intrusion of smartphones and social media are not the only changes that have deformed childhood. There’s an important backstory,” claims Haidt.
He goes on to share the evolution of television and constant news streams. The consistent flow of stories, specifically tailored to produce awareness and some level of fear in viewers across the globe, leads parents to become more and more protective of their children over the years. Beginning in the 1980s, it was becoming less and less acceptable for children to ride bikes to friends’ houses, run errands or even play outside without supervision. It also became easier for parents to control how children spent their time.
Today, parents have become more reliant on screens to fulfill their child’s need for stimulation. Surveys from Pew Research show parents resort to screens because it’s less time-consuming for them and provides a more “controlled” environment, meaning they know exactly what their child is doing rather than wondering whose house they’re visiting or what shenanigans they’re getting into while unsupervised in the backyard. This is why the change in childhood accelerated in the 2010s. As Haidt says, “… an already independence-deprived generation was lured into a new virtual universe that seemed safe to parents but in fact is more dangerous, in many respects, than the physical world.”
What can be done to reverse the screen-based childhood? What can be done to refurbish the ingredients needed to form healthy, confident and motivated adults? Here are four suggestions based on Haidt’s report:
1. Halt the purchase and use of smart devices for children.
The majority of research found screens, especially personal devices, to be most harmful to children in the years before puberty. Family policies about tablets, laptops and video-game consoles should be aligned with smartphone restrictions to prevent overuse of other screen activities.
2. Save social media for after
16. Similar to the findings of devices, social-media use before the age of 16 directly links to myriad mental health disorders. This delay in social media does not refer to watching YouTube videos or TikToks now and then but from starting their own accounts and building a performance-based life before they’ve had time to endure the shift into young adulthood.
3. Schools could take “no phone” policies more seriously. Many schools say they do not allow phone usage in the classroom, but few require students and teachers to keep their devices in a locker or designated location during school hours. Those that do, including a boarding school in Williamstown, Massachusetts, report an improved environment for learning, better culture and higher academic scores overall.
4. Increase the level of independence and responsibility for children.
Going back to the effects of the constant stream of news, many parents are on edge about their children’s freedom and independence, and for good reason. But parents often look to each other for support and confirmation that their techniques are solid and deemed as “good parenting.” The more we allow children to do and the more we encourage them to take responsibility for themselves and consider others in the process, the more motivated and purpose-filled they will become, thus increasing their confidence and ability to make decisions later on in life.
While some games, apps and platforms are geared to form addictions in users, smartphones, screens and other personal devices are not in and of themselves bad. But they do provide an avenue for escape, dependence and disillusionment, much the same as alcohol, drugs and other addictiveforming activities. There’s a reason certain substances and experiences have been given age limits and parameters. It’s time we realize the dangers technology poses to our children and take a stance to protect the future generations of society.