Experts, advocates make case for smartphone-free childhood
Psychologists say smartphones have been linked to depression, suicidal thoughts
It's a question parents across the globe are grappling with: should my child have a smartphone?
Some advocates and experts say the answer is clear — they shouldn't.
"I think we all kind of knew it in the pit of our stomach all along," Jenna Poste, a member of a new Canadian advocacy group Unplugged Canada, said in an interview at her home in Hammonds Plains, N.S.
"We need to start to rethink the norms that have been created in society where we've really shifted to a phone-based childhood."
Unplugged Canada was inspired by similar movements around the world, like Wait Until 8th in the United States and Smartphone Free Childhood in the United Kingdom.
The group is urging parents across the country to pledge to delay giving their children a smartphone until high school.
Advocates and experts argue that smartphones are particularly problematic because of their accessibility — it's right there in your pocket, often spurring compulsive and addictive behaviours driven largely by social media.
Poste has worked in the technology industry for more than 20 years, starting her career at BlackBerry, helping build the world's first smartphones. She now works for a well-being app.
"So I've seen a lot of the positive and amazing things technology can bring, but I'm also very well aware of the harms it can bring," said Poste, who has a seven-year-old daughter and a five-year-old son.
"Smartphones are really fuelling a mental health crisis in our children and youth and it's giving you a gateway to harmful content, exposing them to violent content. It's also built to be addictive."
She also points to research in the New York Times bestselling book The Anxious Generation by American psychologist Jonathan Haidt.
Haidt's book argues that technology and social media have rewired our children's brains, taking a heavy toll on their mental health.
Haidt connects rising depression and suicide rates and declining academic performance to the use of smartphones, based on number of factors. He examined statistics for those under 18 on a number of mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression. For each, there was a sudden uptick around 2010 when smartphones became widely available.
"We have an enormous destruction of mental health, happiness and education," Haidt told host Matt Galloway of CBC Radio's The Current in a recent interview.
"This counts to me as one of the biggest public health emergencies we've ever had."
Haidt presents four "new norms" that parents and caregivers should adopt to provide a foundation for a healthier childhood. They are: no smartphones before high school; no social media before 16; phone-free schools; and more independence, free play and responsibility in the real world.
Australia recently passed into law a social media ban for those under 16 years old, setting a benchmark for jurisdictions around the world with one of the toughest regulations targeting Big Tech.
Meanwhile, schools across Canada — including those in Nova Scotia — have started implementing restrictions on the use of cellphones in schools, often requiring students to have them turned off for the day.
Simon Sherry, a professor of psychology at Dalhousie University, agrees with delaying giving children smartphones for as long as possible.
However, he does feel The Anxious Generation overstates the issue. For instance, when negative health effects from smartphones are found, those effects tend to be fairly small in magnitude, he said.
"We need not demonize all screens and we need to be cautious about the statements we make in this area," said Sherry, who is the father of three boys and has wrestled with this very issue in his own household.
He said there are some positives that come from using social media, like warm exchanges with family and friends that spark happiness and connection.
Nevertheless, Sherry said there is a long list of negative physical and psychological effects, including sedentariness, disturbed sleep and obesity as well as links to inattention, depression, anxiety, suicidal thinking and loneliness.
"To be clear, my position is that you should delay the acquisition itself or you should carefully supervise your child," he said. "Oftentimes the cellphone is the beginning of evil or the problem. So be very cautious."
Screen time in general is also a growing concern among experts and parents alike. A study released in 2023 by researchers at Western University in London, Ont., found children who spent more time on screens were more likely to present symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Since Unplugged Canada started up in September 2024, 1,157 people across the country have signed the pledge, according to its website.
Poste hopes that number will grow as people begin to discuss the issue.
She said she realizes going smartphone free is easier said than done — especially if your child already has a smartphone.
But there are alternatives, like the Pinwheel phone, which gives parents control over what kids can do, and flip phones, which only have options for texting and phone calls. Poste also suggested getting a home phone for after school check-ins, and installing a family computer for games and internet browsing.
Join the conversation
Unplugged Canada is holding a free information session on Thursday at Hammonds Plains Consolidated School in Hammonds Plains, N.S., which will also be streamed over Zoom for those who cannot attend in person. More than 150 people were signed up to attend as of Wednesday.
Poste said building a community will help give parents the confidence to follow through on the commitment, particularly in the face of strong-willed preteens.
"If we just start with your own small community and start to make some changes there, less people will have them and there will be less pressure to actually have to give them one," she said.
"There's a growing number of people who really want change."
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