Smartphones are ubiquitous these days, almost everyone has one…except low-income communities. As a result, an ever-increasing number of children rely on these devices to communicate and interact socially. Dr Helen Thomas is a General Practitioner with a special interest in Public Health, living in Hampshire. She writes digital health training for the NHS and frequently hears stories from parents about their children’s smartphone use. She emphasizes that while parents have the authority to regulate their children’s access to smartphones, they must navigate the complexities of reversing such decisions.
Ellie, a 12-year-old who got her first smart phone at age 10, describes what her phone means to her. “I would definitely keep it…if there was ever an emergency I could contact whoever I needed right away,” she explains. Her screen time averages four hours and one minute daily, primarily using platforms like WhatsApp and Snapchat to communicate with friends. Ellie feels that the option to delete a message or voice note helps her to express herself with more ease.
… our landscape with teenagers changed dramatically when their world became only viewable on a smartphone, iPad or computer, says Dr. Thomas. She agrees with Smaira that young people use social media to connect with their peers—they seek communities, and such communities create a sense of belonging. “And that’s awesome because they get to meet their squad and work with like-minded individuals and feel so validated,” she adds. Yet at the same time, she points out the disturbing consequences of this change.
Liberty, a 15-year-old with social anxiety, has difficulty making friends beyond the school environment. For the parent featured above, she credits her fear of missing out (FOMO) with driving her smartphone addiction. All she knows is she scrolls through your posts and sees you all having a great time. In the meantime, she’s homebound with nothing to do during intermission but watch a movie or some other dull activity. Liberty enjoys using her phone to play Roblox and to speak with her cousin who lives across the country. To get him to take more breaks, she sets screen time limits. Even so, she is concerned that too much smartphone use would negatively affect her future professional path.
If teenagers rely on their smartphones too much, they may not learn independence and other critical life skills during these formative years, warns Dr. Thomas. As she says, young adults will move into workforces unprepared to function as today’s employers. The disconnect between their two approaches is becoming glaringly obvious. Though skills have changed, she emphasizes that the importance of foundational skills—like being on time, being responsible, working as a team and communicating effectively—are key to any workplace.
Parents also have special challenges when it comes to their children’s smartphone use. Dr. Thomas recommends holding off on children getting their own smartphones until they are at least 16 years of age. Parenting is hard! Reversing a decision can be harder, she warns. In the end, it makes everyone better off. She always encourages parents to have open conversations with their kids about technology and its use. She stresses that it is absolutely vital that you engage them in candid discussions.
Ofcom’s recent report reveals that by age 11, nine out of ten children own a mobile phone, highlighting the prevalence of smartphones among young users. Dr. Thomas wants parents to be vigilant not just about their kids’ mental health but their physical health, too. He urges parents to understand that too much screen time can have negative effects on their early development and social skills.
Join Ellie as she navigates the complexities of communicating online for change-making. She adds, “In real life, you don’t have the option of deleting messages. People have already been exposed to what you communicated. This lament sums up the push-pull of online life versus in-person connections that so many youth feel in the world today.
The discussion on children’s smartphone use is ever-changing. It is up to parents and children alike to safely trek across a new digital frontier that contains unprecedented opportunity alongside staggering new risks.
