Children’s use of devices and social media is a topic that many parents are thinking about.
While 13 is generally considered the minimum age to use platforms like Snapchat and YouTube, data shows people are using the platforms much earlier than that.
The US Surgeon General has said there is not enough evidence to conclude it is sufficiently safe for children.
We asked families in Northeast Ohio how they’re tackling this issue, spoke to a longtime local pediatrician, and spoke to medical, social, and cultural experts.
spachner family
“Charlotte, 8 years old,” Jessica Spachner said, introducing her three children. “David is five years old and Lily is almost two.”
When your baby is small, life may seem simple, but as your baby grows, life can become more complicated. We want to keep things locked up that can harm our children, but that’s not realistic. ”
“We started thinking, ‘Wow, this needs to be investigated,'” she said of the smartphone.
Parenting is always a risk-benefit analysis, from choosing the best car seat to college.
“So we can continue to be parents,” she smiled.
When Jessica and Peter Spachner consider when to give their oldest daughter a smartphone, even now, they look to research to guide their decisions. Research shows that most children get their first cell phone between the ages of 10 and 13.
“This was actually quite alarming for us because of some of the negative effects of smartphone use, especially social media use,” Jessica said.
The Spachners are part of the Wait Until 8th Grade pledge, a national movement urging parents to come together to delay giving their children smartphones until at least the end of eighth grade.
“What we really liked was that it was about the whole community,” she said.
Other parents in her daughter’s class also received pledges. She says it’s important to make sure children don’t feel alone or punished.
Jessica Spachner said she felt this was a reasonable and empowering plan of action.
“Because with everything that’s just going on on the internet and social media, it can feel like the floodgates are opening and you’re trying to think, ‘How can I control this?’ How can I prevent overexposure? ” Spachner said.
Recent trends
There are many things to consider.
In June, the U.S. Surgeon General called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms. State that it is associated with significant harm to the mental health of adolescents.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine recently signed a bill requiring all school districts to have policies restricting cell phone use.
The governor referenced Dr. Jonathan Haidt’s Anxious Generation, this year’s best-selling book that examines the effects of childhood exposure to telephones.
Pediatrician who has been working for many years
“What’s the problem?” asked Dr. Sherry Senders, a Euclid pediatrician at Senders Pediatrics. “I think that’s the future of this generation.”
Senders said the Anxious Generation reflects what he has seen over the years in his practice: the negative impact smartphones and social media have on children’s mental health.
“These days I might see 25 patients, and 12 to 14 of them come in with anxiety or depression.”
He said his clinic continues to treat patients’ mental health needs well into their 20s because there aren’t enough psychiatrists to meet demand.
“We need to make sure that children who are old enough to recognize and deal with the potential dangers of smartphones are given the fortitude to deal with them,” Senders said.
Sender said he and his staff are committed to helping families meet the four new norms outlined in Hite’s book.
- Smartphones are prohibited until high school students
- Don’t use social media before the age of 16
- School that doesn’t require a phone
- More independence, free play, and responsibility in the real world
“This was a flash in the pan and we shouldn’t blow it over,” Senders said. “This is an opportunity to really change the world.”
What should parents do?
We also spoke with Eileen Anderson, Ann Templeton Zimmerman Professor of Bioethics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
“That’s the question: How can we maximize the benefits and minimize the harm,” Anderson said.
Anderson studies how children adapt to changes in their environment. She is also the mother of three teenage girls.
“So this is a topic near and dear to me,” she said.
Anderson said children’s rapidly developing brains are especially vulnerable to the dopamine surge from social media.
She said she was concerned about the technology’s addictive nature, immediacy and accessible content.
“It takes the children’s attention away from where it should be,” she says. “It kind of increases all the other risks in adolescence.”
She also pointed to the potential benefits of providing a sense of community, belonging and inclusion.
She said further research, especially long-term studies, was needed to fully understand the impact, and cautioned parents against taking an all-bad or all-good position on the issue.
Anderson says there is no one-size-fits-all answer and that the heavy lifting of determining what’s best for children right now, making sure everyone understands the technology, and communicating openly and frequently about safe use is on their shoulders. He said that it is the parents who are being punished. .
She emphasized the importance of digital and technology literacy as smartphones and social media continue to advance and become more widely used in all aspects of society.
What’s most important, she said, is to talk about what your kids are watching, how to keep them safe online, how they’re feeling, and make decisions about smartphone use in an open and shared dialogue. Ta.
“Young people want someone to understand them,” she says. “They want the people who love them the most to be curious, interested, and concerned. Therefore, getting the best information in a way that builds ongoing trust with the youth. That is always the top priority.”
The Spurchners have other things to consider about their daughter. She seems to be walking to school.
“So when you’re looking at smartphones, that’s a challenge in and of itself,” Spachner said.
Maintaining communication for safety will factor into the decision, but Spachner said she wants to make decisions based on facts, not fear, and encourages parents to research and discuss other family members when making decisions. recommended.
“What we heard while researching the ‘Wait until the 8th’ pledge really resonated with us, and that’s the concept of seeing the smartphone as a disruption to the experience,” she said. “You know, the more we can go back to a play-based childhood, the more we’re passionate about it and want to do it with our own families.”
So what are some options? There are flip phones, smartwatches, and devices that resemble typical smartphones with kid-friendly features, but no internet.
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