Current Events > A modest proposal: No smartphones for kids

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.axios.com/2024/03/22/kids-childhood-smartphone-ban-social-media

What they're saying: Haidt offers four controversial suggestions:

No smartphones for kids before high school give them only flip phones in middle school.
No social media before age 16.
Make schools phone-free, by putting devices in phone lockers or Yondr pouches.
Give kids far more free play and independence, including more and better recess.

And then we eat the children?

refmon posted...

https://www.axios.com/2024/03/22/kids-childhood-smartphone-ban-social-media

What they're saying: Haidt offers four controversial suggestions:

No smartphones for kids before high school give them only flip phones in middle school.
No social media before age 16.
Make schools phone-free, by putting devices in phone lockers or Yondr pouches.
Give kids far more free play and independence, including more and better recess.

All of that sounds like basic common sense, lol

I didn't actually read the article, but I'm all for children being less exposed to social media and smartphones.

Grown ass adults can barely handle it, an adolescent is worse. Especially the growing generation of, "I want to be an influencer" as a career choice which just isn't realistic.

Do people not know that "a modest proposal" is a statement that's supposed to only be used for purposefully bad ideas?

https://youtu.be/whyJCcjf6to?si=x3BtYuH59AYFre8Z

I can't disagree with the four points posted tbh.

I agree in full. My 9 year old badgers me often about getting a phone, especially when she sees other kids with them.

Sorry kid, your mom and I are on the same page on this one, lol.

Boomer nonsense

If a parent wants to raise their kid that way, that's their business, but it shouldn't be the law

PMarth2002 posted...

If a parent wants to raise their kid that way, that's their business, but it shouldn't be the law

As an uncle of several kids who have been raised by iPads, I think something absolutely needs to be done about it.

K181 posted...

Do people not know that "a modest proposal" is a statement that's supposed to only be used for purposefully bad ideas?

So far nothing in this topic wouldn't fit in with that line of reasoning.

I think if the parents have enough money to have a legit tv setup with a YouTube / streaming accounts (which should be easier to police anyway), that should basically be the done deal with it: as in, no smartphones.

It is kinda funny in a sad way now that for poorer income families it's frankly simpler to just dole out some smartphones/pads for entertainment. But yeah, I don't think anything good comes out of it.

And this conversation does actually ramp up to another level when talking about computers. I'm guessing most users on this site take having a computer at home as being a default living scenario but I can assure you plenty of folks don't have or know anything about personal computers, whether laptop or pc.

Kids don't need smartphones. Anything "good" that comes out of them can just be had via other means. They should really just be seen as a point of convenience for adults. Of course, the other side of the convo is how basic flip phones are almost extinct these days, and they're mostly just out there for senior citizens. I think society's just behind on this one, since smartphones are just hyper prevalent.

Disagree. If we're going to force kids to go to a school where they could be gunned down at any time and the only countermeasure we're willing to offer is "thoughts and prayers", the least we can do is let them have their phones with them so they can text their loved ones goodbye.

It's kind of surprising to me that kids in any grade are allowed to have their phones in class.

Good parents limit screen time for their kids on their phone. Just 2-3 hours a day for the very young kids.

Love it or hate it technology is here to stay and shielding people from it doesn't help anything thats just the same old conservative mindset that new things are scary and bad. People will adapt to the changing world as we have always done.

The kids won't need smartphones anyway once we eat them

my mother didn't let me get a phone until I was either 13, or joined extra-curricular activities that required me to be at school after-hours. I feel like this is a completely reasonable rule, and I'll be doing the same with my own children.

No tablets or phones/social media until 14 (high school), or phone with limited access if doing extra-curricular activities/sports.

a modest proposal: Start living in reality, whoever wrote that.

Kids watch some real dumb ass garbage on Youtube, for real though.

It's always some dumbass shit like Morgz or like some weirdo making a video like "DON'T CALL MCDONALDS LATE AT 3AM GRIMACE SHAKE HUGGY WUGGY SUSSY OHIO FINAL BOSS".

Absolute mind poison, they don't stand a chance.

Good points, but way too late now; The cat is out of the bag.

LeoRavus posted...

It's kind of surprising to me that kids in any grade are allowed to have their phones in class.

It is just difficult to enforce when you have only one teacher with two eyes and only so much time to stick to the lesson plan.

UnholyMudcrab posted...

The kids won't need smartphones anyway once we eat them

The phones or the kids?

this is nothing but a pure "back in my day" rant. some people just really struggle to adapt to the ever-changing world.

wanderingshade posted...

Kids watch some real dumb ass garbage on Youtube, for real though.

It's always some dumbass shit like Morgz or like some weirdo making a video like "DON'T CALL MCDONALDS LATE AT 3AM GRIMACE SHAKE HUGGY WUGGY SUSSY OHIO FINAL BOSS".

Absolute mind poison, they don't stand a chance.

You mean like the YouTube Poops we watched as kids?

K181 posted...

Do people not know that "a modest proposal" is a statement that's supposed to only be used for purposefully bad ideas?

That's what I was wondering.

My guess isn't that they don't know, but that the author is actually proposing this as satire and thinks giving kids smartphones is a perfectly fine idea.

LonelyStoner posted...

As an uncle of several kids who have been raised by iPads, I think something absolutely needs to be done about it.

Seconded. I love my nephews, but they are stupid as FUCK and have no real concept of how society works or how to interact with actual human beings

itcheyness posted...

You mean like the YouTube Poops we watched as kids?

Even the most inane youtube pooper like Deepercutt was different than this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dM3GI79Y6k

itcheyness posted...

You mean like the YouTube Poops we watched as kids?

Wtf is a youtube poop? Seriously, the worst thing i remember watching on YouTube was =3. I actively avoided all the cringe shit back then.

Social media and smart phones were a mistake but there is no turning back now.

We could have specialized tablets for kids and teens that designed with them in mind. Companies like Leap Frog has been doing stuff like that for years.

Part of me wants to agree, but another part feels like, fuck it. We are living in the full-net-integrated world that used to only exist in cyberpunk fiction. >_>

Parents should definitely be vigilant about their kids' online habits, but keeping them off of technology entirely seems like it'll hinder their ability to integrate socially with their peers. <_<

Nice in theory but if your kid is in the minority good luck enforcing rules like this while also expecting them to fit in and have a good social life.

part of me wants to agree simply because I have no idea how to explain or guide someone through social media interactions

but at the same time, starting early so they have adequate experience (mistakes, lessons, and so on) is important as well. Too many people have grown up or live in an environment that does not adequately challenge them or their mindset and it shows in the state of a lot of discourse.

Granted, how we get that sort of exposure without opening up youngfolk to more costly mistakes I'm not sure how to implement. We can hardly make a "youths only" social media, that's been demonstrated to fail horribly repeatedly. I don't personally like the idea of having to spy on rhetorical children to ensure they aren't getting hit up or risking it all on nonsense...

It's a complicated problem

kurdt032 posted...

Boomer nonsense

You clearly dont have kids. Those sound very reasonable, unlike trying to ban internet sites.

I agree, I wouldn't give my child a smart phone at least until high school.

Goldenguy posted...

I agree in full. My 9 year old badgers me often about getting a phone, especially when she sees other kids with them.

Sorry kid, your mom and I are on the same page on this one, lol.

Fight the good fight! My wife and I are on the same page as well. My oldest son hasn't asked for a phone yet. Most kids his age still don't have one

pretzelcoatl posted...

my mother didn't let me get a phone until I was either 13, or joined extra-curricular activities that required me to be at school after-hours. I feel like this is a completely reasonable rule, and I'll be doing the same with my own children.

No tablets or phones/social media until 14 (high school), or phone with limited access if doing extra-curricular activities/sports.

I didn't get a phone till I was 20.

NO2_Fiend posted...

Love it or hate it technology is here to stay and shielding people from it doesn't help anything thats just the same old conservative mindset that new things are scary and bad. People will adapt to the changing world as we have always done.

I would believe this if kids weren't somehow getting dumber with computers. Always thought my generation would be the last to have to explain how a computer works to another generation. But not to a younger generation.

Guide posted...

I would believe this if kids weren't somehow getting dumber with computers. Always thought my generation would be the last to have to explain how a computer works to another generation. But not to a younger generation.

This probably has less to do with people getting "dumber" and more to do with people just not needing to deal with same shit we had to back in the day.

Like there's an entire generation of people who are helpless with torrents because if they wanted to watch/listen to something they could just use youtube. Back in the day if you wanted to watch anime you needed to figure some shit out >_>

And phones have obfuscated the very concept of directories since everything you can get off the store just goes to the same giant unsorted app list.

Kim_Seong-a posted...

This probably has less to do with people getting "dumber" and more to do with people just not needing to deal with same shit we had to back in the day.

Like there's an entire generation of people who are helpless with torrents because if they wanted to watch/listen to something they could just use youtube. Back in the day if you wanted to watch anime you needed to figure some shit out >_>

And phones have obfuscated the very concept of directories since everything you can get off the store just goes to the same giant unsorted app list.

I mean, you're describing exactly what I think of when I say "getting dumber with computers".

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


I think there's also a difference between being a deranged puritan like Jack Thompson and having standards.

Yeah, the tired argument is "boomers are afraid of technology", but that's not what this idea is addressing. This is an attempt to offset the negative social effects of said technology. It has nothing to do with banning technology or wanting for the past.
Guide posted...

I would believe this if kids weren't somehow getting dumber with computers. Always thought my generation would be the last to have to explain how a computer works to another generation. But not to a younger generation.

Seriously, I use to help seniors with PC skills and thought, "well this field won't last". it's incredibly sad how the newer gens have seemingly fumbled the bag in this regard. Fortunately, Youtube will never die.

We learned to use computers because that was the easiest way to use the internet when we were young. That was our incentive.

With smartphones being so common kids have to go out of their way to learn computers now. The incentive isn't the same anymore. So it makes sense they need to be specifically taught.

It's the same stuff as the generation before us whining about how we were playing video games or using computers instead of learning to change a tire or whatever. Unless parents actually make the effort to get them interested in learning why would they take the initiative to figure it out on their own?

Or just give them a low end smartphone with parental control?

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

I hear this, and wanna believe it, but it feels like such propaganda.
Like, i hear so many conspiracy theories from people who watch them on tik tok. Somehow I know the same amount of news as them, usually more, without filling my head with conspiracies, paying attention to pbs.
I call it propaganda cause it's exactly how Tiktok advertises itself.
It spreads good information, yes, but it also spreads a TON of lies, really believable ones, too.