Cell Phones and Teenagers: What You May Not Know

Cell Phones and Teenagers

I am not an expert on teenagers and cell phones but I can tell you this, as a teacher who works at a middle school and high school and the grandmother of a 14 year old girl with an I-Phone, I’m scared for today’s teens. In between classes kids walk with their cell phones in front of them like zombies. My granddaughter visits every other weekend and the phone is never out of her hand. The implications of growing up with a smart phone frighten me and I’m not the only one.

Dr. Twenge is a Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University. Her book  iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy–and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood should be read by all parents and grandparents who are concerned about teenagers and cell phone use.

This is from Dr. Twenge’s homepage. “With generational divides wider than ever, parents, educators, and employers have an urgent need to understand today’s rising generation of teens and young adults. Born after 1995, iGen is the first generation to spend their entire adolescence in the age of the smartphone. With social media and texting replacing other activities, iGen spends less time with their friends in person – perhaps why they are experiencing unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness.“

As if that weren’t bad enough another article I read from Psychology Today’s Michael Ungar, PhD. has this to say, “There’s more bad news too. Seems that with all that online addiction is also coming more bullying, which is only fueling kids’ anxiety. A recent article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal by a group of researchers based mostly in Quebec, Canada, found that among a large sample of teens, 59% reported moderate exposure to bullying, and 14% reported chronically high exposure to bullying, both in person and online. That’s not a trend or a disease. At those rates, children’s experiences of bullying are almost as common as high school graduation.“

Parents and Grandparents

It’s time we stepped up our game. If the first step is admitting there is a problem, then the second is deciding what to do about it. Here are some suggestions. Some of them are condensed from Dr. Ungar’s recommendations and some are my own.

1. There are apps that allow parents to block inappropriate websites on the Internet, as well as limiting cell phone usage. If that’s something you are interested in, then it’s easy to Google “Apps that help Parents monitor children’s cell phones” to see what’s out there that might help.

2. There is research that proves that providing young people with tons of opportunities to stay engaged with each other, to participate in arts and sports activities, and to have safe spaces after school to hang out, actually cuts down on drug and alcohol use. If it’s that effective on curbing drugs and alcohol, doesn’t it make sense that it would decrease cell phone usage? Keeping kids engaged and active should be a common goal of all parents.

3. This one is my suggestion and it’s not going to be popular with kids, but since when do teenagers always know what’s good for them. I sure didn’t when I was a teenager and I bet I’m not alone. Here it is….prohibit cell phones from schools. That would eliminate the Zombies I told you about that I see between classes and cut down on bullying at least during school hours. Teachers and learning shouldn’t have to compete with Instagram and text messages. If teens who drive want to keep them in their cars, fine. Middle schoolers could check them in at the office or keep them in their lockers and they could check them at lunch, but in my opinion they shouldn’t be allowed in school buildings.

4. Dr. Ungar states in his article in PsychologyToday, “Children like routines and expectations that they can meet. They want genuine attachments and large networks of social relations. They want opportunities to show others their talents, to be pushed out of their comfort zones and try new things, to be active physically and intellectually. These are all things we, as parents, have stopped providing our kids.”

Parents and grandparents, there is nothing wrong with limiting cell phone usage in your homes! Sit down with your child or grandchild and talk about the importance of conversation, activity and reading a good book! Then talk about how much screen time is healthy. Whatever amount of time you decide is reasonable, make rules and abide by them.

I have a basket I’m going to put in the center of our kitchen table. When we eat together all phones go in the basket. That’s not much, but it’s a start. After I implement that rule for awhile then I’m going to bring the basket out at 6 every night and make that “family time.” Even if no one is here but me and my husband, we should be looking and talking to each other, not our phones.

I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this. How do you feel about phones in schools?

You can find the information I referenced here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/nurturing-resilience/201801/teens-and-dangerous-levels-cell-phone-use

And here. http://www.jeantwenge.com/igen-book-by-dr-jean-twenge/