Every year there are new inventions. Some disappear as soon as they are patented since there isn’t a need for them, or they are too expensive to produce at the time, some take time to seep into everyday life, while others permanently change our lifestyles. Among the life changers to come on the market over the last one and a quarter centuries have been cars, motorbikes, electronic televisions, compact cassette tapes, computers, ARPANET (1969, precursor of the internet), microwave ovens, videotapes, video game consoles, digital cameras, and smartphones.
As far back as 1973, Theodore G Paraskevakos had patented the concept of a device with phone and computer features, but it had lain dormant for over two decades. At the turn of the century, few select models of mobile phones had very limited and slow internet access, and users were still coming to terms with how to send a simple text message. The first smartphone mass marketed was manufactured by a Japanese company NTT Docomo in 1999. Within 15 years, there were over one billion smartphones in use, with Android and Apple accounting for over 90 percent of the market. As of June this year, the number has swollen to an astonishing 7.2 billion, with a considerable growth of 7.8 percent in ownership in the first quarter of 2024.
These inventions are often linked to other developments or shifts in tastes or options. The linking of the internet and the World Wide Web (WWW) in 1989 by a software engineer Sir Tim Berners-Lee (who was working for CERN – European Organisation for Nuclear Research), is one such key moment in time. The merging of these two beasts, akin to the advertising of tobacco products on television broadcasts, dating back to the 1950s, to promote the idea of a richer and glamorous lifestyle have had a significant impact on our well-being. The emergence of the front-facing camera in the 2010 iPhone model and the proliferation of social media from 2014 onwards, have been complexly intertwined over the past decade, bringing us to the current state of affairs.
Today, parents of teenagers and preteens, Generation Z, the Zoomers (1997 – 2012), are constantly concerned about the amount of time their offspring spend on these electronic devices, which they seem incapable of prising their hands off. At times they appear transfixed, completely oblivious to their surroundings, their attention fully focused on the tiny screen held in the palms of their hands. What are they doing? Are they playing a game? With whom? Which social media platform are they on? Who are they talking to? Strangers? The endless questions and subsequent worrying, which are all part and parcel of raising children in the modern world, are more than justified.
Western research data suggest that these phone-based childhoods have spawned a slew of problems, including sexual exploitation, loneliness, eating disorders, increases in child suicide, self harm and porn addiction. Children are exposed to all manner of harm via social media and gaming algorithms which drive very powerful addictions. Smartphone cameras facilitate the grooming and abuse of children by predators even when they are safely within the confines of their homes. In addition to these problems, the children are deprived of ‘real world’ experiences, such as social interactions, which are necessary for the maturity of mind and body.
Solving this rather complex dilemma is not an easy proposition. Should children be restricted access to social media? The guardrails, similar to those in place to prevent the sale of tobacco and alcohol (which are quite often circumvented) to minors could be a starting point. Lamenting that it is too late to do anything will not suffice, since we have a moral duty to protect our children from social harms. Eton College, the elite English Public School (which, in reality, is an extremely expensive private school) recently announced that beginning in September new pupils – year nine students who turn 14 during the school year – will be prohibited from taking smartphones to the boarding school. In a letter to the parents of the boarders, the school has advised that the pupils’ SIM cards can be transferred to school-issued Nokia phones – commonly referred to as ‘bricks’ in British society – which can only make calls and send texts. Current policy at Eton, which has produced 20 British prime ministers, is to not allow younger boys to have phones in their possession during the day, with those in the first three years having to hand in theirs at night. Eton is among several schools in the UK which have tightened rules around smartphone usage over growing concerns about students’ mental health and behaviour.
Often overlooked in the battle with the Zoomers over smartphone usage is the role parents have played in this scenario. Data from Pew Research Center, an American think tank based in Washington D C points to sharp escalations in the use of at least one social media networking site between 2006 and 2009 by the age groups who are now the parents of Generation Z. While their children were toddlers and preschoolers were they disengaged from them whilst they were too busy on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn renewing acquaintances and tracking down childhood friends? Maybe they are still distracted and still tuning out their children.
Whilst we can continue to voice our concerns about their smartphone obsessions, at times seeking to justify the confiscations and cutting off their mobile plans, perhaps we first need to look in the mirror. If we are serious about discussing the long-term consequences of smartphone addiction with our children we can begin by shutting off our devices before we have that heart-to-heart chat. The smartphone and the accompanying social media platforms and digital technology are all here to stay and develop further. The ball is actually in our court to offer ongoing support and guidance on how to adapt and make wise use of the opportunities they provide.
