The Terrible Costs of a Phone-Based Childhood

while you can skip straight to the suggestions for parents, it's the history lesson and the comparative analogies (ex: tobacco) that are worth the reading time.

difficult problems can have difficult roots and the smartphone childhood is no exception.

there is also a lot of good news sprinkled throughout and it's worth tackling this challenge not from a defeated or impossible position, but one of strength.

perhaps in the end, the kids are going to be all right. with a little help from a community that doesn't turn a blind eye and accept all technology as good.

This article discusses the negative impacts of smartphones and social media on adolescent development and mental health. It argues that the combination of increased screen time and reduced opportunities for unstructured play, risk-taking, and real-world social interaction has led to higher rates of anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues among young people. The author suggests that these negative trends began to emerge around 2010, coinciding with the rise of smartphones and social media, and offers several potential solutions to address this problem.