Thanks to Jonathan Haidt’s “The Anxious Generation” and a few motivated Parkites, there is finally some momentum behind what we’re going to do about the phone-based childhood in which our kids are being raised. Nearly 100 people met on Wednesday to discuss how our community can tackle this epidemic of anxiety and poor mental health in our children. As a parent of an 8 and a 9 year old, I absolutely believe smartphones are damaging our kids, and we have a responsibility to do something about it.
But my kid needs a smartphone. Or at least a smartwatch, right? I often hear three basic arguments on why children “need” a smartphone or watch during their developing years.
My kid could get kidnapped: Come on. Stop. This is Park City where the Police Blotter is filled with stories about moose sightings and the occasional noise complaint from a liftie party. It’s more likely that your Rivian delivery will be late than your child being abducted.
I need to get a hold of my kid: Fortunately for us, Nokia solved this problem about 40 years ago. There are plenty of talk & text-only phones that have all the benefits of being able to communicate with your child and none of the threats that come with the internet and social media.
Everyone else has one: When I was in school, I remember that being called peer pressure. Drugs, alcohol, sneaking out. My dad didn’t say, “Well, I guess since everyone else is doing that, you should, too.” No, of course not. He taught me to stand up for what was right despite what everyone else was doing. Yes, it’s difficult. But it’s a value we need to teach our children as well.
For parents that don’t think countless hours of screen time on social media or YouTube isn’t detrimental to your child’s development, I urge you to pull your head out of the sand. Just go to the airport, or a bar, or basically anywhere in public and observe how people interact with one another. Then watch the middle school kids get off the bus in the afternoon, each of them slumped over, staring at their phones and interacting with no one. We’re doing this to ourselves, and we’re teaching our kids to do it as well.
It’s not hopeless. We can get our kids back to playing outside, acting responsibly and being resilient. But as a community, we all have a part to play. Get the phone out of your child’s hands. Get the phone out of your hands. It starts with me. It starts with us. It starts with you, Parent.
Brian George
Park City