I still think about the dilemma I faced as a parent about whether to give my kids a smartphone, even though a decade later.
When they were in junior high, my girls craved these magical contraptions. Without mobile phones, they claim, they would be social pariahs because “everyone else has a mobile phone”. Even other adults seem to be on their side. Some parents insist that the phone is a “safety” device that allows troubled kids to call for help. The tipping point came when a lawyer I knew pointed out that for kids like me whose parents are divorced, it would be nice to have a phone to keep in touch with their absent parents. Finally, I let go of my scruples and gave in.
I’ve often wondered if I’ve made a mistake, and I recently discovered a new reason to worry. A group called Sapien Labs, which studies mental health, surveyed nearly 28,000 people aged 18-24. As part of Generation Z, Sapien describes this group as “the first generation to use this technology through adolescence.” Not surprisingly, this research shows that Gen Z’s mental state is worse than previous generations.As psychologist Jean Twenge wrote in generations, the mental health of adolescents has deteriorated dramatically over the past decade, the period after smartphones became mainstream. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Covid-19 has exacerbated the problem.
Most interestingly, however, Sapien tracked the age at which respondents first used their phones and compared that to their reported mental health. This revealed a clear pattern: Even after adjusting for reported traumatic events in childhood, children who answered the phone at a younger age had poorer mental health. The percentage of women experiencing mental health challenges ranged from 74 percent who got their first smartphone at age 6 to 46 percent who got their first smartphone at age 18. For men, the figures were 42 percent and 36 percent, respectively.
This pattern was particularly pronounced in one of six mental health categories, called “social self,” which tracks how we see ourselves and relate to others. Sapien attributes this pattern not only to increased technology use, but also to decreased interaction with other people. “Based on statistics, 5 to 8 hours a day spent online during childhood may displace, we estimate, the 1,000 to 2,000 hours per year that would otherwise be spent in various face-to-face social interactions,” they wrote.
And that’s before we consider technology’s other impacts, from what children can view online to cyberbullying and the 24/7 stress of interacting with social media. “Cell phones are not dangerous by themselves, but smartphones with apps are a gateway to who knows what,” said Jonathan Haidt, a professor of psychology at New York University who has written extensively on the issues. “When kids have their own smartphones and can use them at will, you have a serious problem of sleep deprivation and addiction.”
What are the solutions? Progress has been made on the content front, as tech companies face increasing pressure to exert some control. YouTube recently partnered with the National Eating Disorders Association to limit harmful content. It also helps that a new generation of social media influencers, such as Linda Sun and Natacha Océane, are promoting body positivity and anti-anorexia messages. But toxic substances are still prevalent. So far, there’s been very little debate about the problems I’ve struggled with. Should we simply ban young children from using smartphones? Or at least suppress devices that can access the internet?
Some observers might say this is impossible, or that one of the reasons for the shocking findings is that mental health diagnoses and awareness are higher than before. Others may wish to see controls. Either way, Haidt argues that there is “a classic collective action problem” that makes it difficult for parents or schools to impose controls or restrictions on phone use without “centralized norms.” He thinks, for example, that schools should require kids to keep their phones in lockers during class, but he knows parents might object because they fear “if something happens, like a school shooting, they won’t be able to reach their kids.” “.
There are small signs of hope. In Texas, the “Wait Until 8th Grade” movement emerged, with more than 45,000 families signing up. Norms do change, although as the history of tobacco has shown, it takes decades, even if there is conclusive evidence of the damage caused by cigarettes.
If you have young children, prepare yourself for the battle ahead. If only some genius entrepreneur would invent a stupid cell phone that appeals to kids but doesn’t have the lure of Internet addiction. That would be a real technological innovation.
Follow Gillian on Twitter @gillianttett email her gillian.tett@ft.com
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