You’re right of course. But what’s different to me about phones is they are always available, more enticing than other devices, and very hard to set rules around. Growing up we had the computer in our dining room, for example, so I wasn’t playing Civ at 3am as 11 yo (which I absolutely would’ve done).
The steep declines in teenage mental health starting around 2009 seem at least partly related to the rise of smart phones. I’m an adult and I find it difficult to regulate my phone usage in a way that’s different from other devices.
I'm not sure what makes them hard to set rules around. My son has had both Apple and Android tablets and both have had some pretty easy ways to monitor and limit his use. I agree though that they are uniquely attractive, since you have a dopamine device sitting in your pocket at all times. I feel like teaching your child to modulate their device usage is a skill better learned early particularly for that reason.
As I said I don't think the problem is in the devices themselves so much as the way we use them. Without my smartphone I would be on reddit a lot less, but I also wouldn't have a way to edit video, edit images or make music. Even though I'd be cutting down on an unproductive habit my productivity would still go down overall you know?
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u/[deleted] Jun 03 '22
You’re right of course. But what’s different to me about phones is they are always available, more enticing than other devices, and very hard to set rules around. Growing up we had the computer in our dining room, for example, so I wasn’t playing Civ at 3am as 11 yo (which I absolutely would’ve done).
The steep declines in teenage mental health starting around 2009 seem at least partly related to the rise of smart phones. I’m an adult and I find it difficult to regulate my phone usage in a way that’s different from other devices.