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Hi -,
“End the Phone-Based Childhood Now” by Jonathan Haidt is one of the most disturbing articles I have ever read.
Just look at the statistics: Rates of depression and anxiety of adolescents in the Western world were stable in the 2000’s – and then, as smartphones arrived, rose by more than 50% in the years 2010 to 2019. During those years, suicide rates for ages 10 to 19 rose by 48% - for girls 10 to 14, they grew by 131%!
Gen Z (born after 96) is paying the price for the technology with which it was raised: data shows they are suffering from anxiety, depression, and self-harm at higher levels compared with any other generation.
These challenges do not end in adolescence – they then become part of the adult Gen Z life: they are dating less, have less sex, are more likely to live with their parents, and are shyer and more risk averse.
I look around at some of my friend’s children, who sometimes own mobile phones as early as first grade! And I ask myself, do we not realize the impact of these phones on their young minds and hearts? How could we accept it so naturally, as if nothing is happening?
When I ask my friends, the children’s parents, they say that everyone in their class has a phone and do not want their child to be different or seen as weird.
It’s pretty amazing how reading books, riding bikes, and playing catch became children’s “weird” way of living.
I have three kids who go to Waldorf school. Like any other education path, it has advantages and disadvantages, but the meaningful piece for me is that my kids’ school banned smartphones. Phones in school are harmful to learning, hurt relationships, and reduce the feeling of belonging. To read more about it, search for Jonathan Haidt’s article “Get Phones out of Schools now”.
In my kids’ school, the parent community also agrees that phones should not be part of any social interaction at a young age. When our kids meet, they play board and card games, go to the playground, and interact in different ways that include zero screen time. They truly connect.
Find your community and work together to give your children a healthy way to grow up. Pressure local schools to ban phones in school. You can be part of the solution.
We are fighting for the mental health of future generations. The sooner we wake up, the faster we can heal at least some of the damage.
Share this article with anyone for whom this might be relevant.
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