Simply put, smartphones are addictive in the hands of children - not just the apps used but the phone itself. Addictions alter brain processes for the worse. That is why they are so difficult to change for the better.
I think it’s similar to how people viewed smoking not that long ago. “Everyone does it, why wouldn’t I?”, it’s sad to see all these people on dates just staring at their phones, parents not engaging with their children just staring at the screen. Finding people who have taken a step back from technology use and getting out into the world with them has been my goal since Covid (it’s been hard!)
I also find it interesting that the "if you just ban a thing, it makes them want it more" crowd don't take the same approach to alcohol and drugs in their home. Apparently they think banning some things for children works just fine.
> Modern devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops are designed to be intuitive.
I saw a meme the other day that went something like "My parents don't know how to set the time on the microwave. My kids don't know how to set the time on the microwave. We are the only generation in history that will ever know how to set the time on the microwave". It was a joke but also more than a bit of truth.
Very few jobs let people use phones so it was never clear what "learn to use a phone helps you succeed in life" even meant. Most real jobs either use a real computer of some kind or, as you say, use a simple enough app that 10 years of Instagram experience doesn't give you a leg up.
Also, just looking at the real world, nobody out there is going "wow, Millenials and Gen Z are far outcompeting Gen X and Gen Y in the marketplace due to being the first generation of digital natives". If anything, people say the opposite.
If we make local community more exciting and offer the young more opportunities to do something worthwhile in the real world - this is automatically reduce the time they need to be online.
Simply put, smartphones are addictive in the hands of children - not just the apps used but the phone itself. Addictions alter brain processes for the worse. That is why they are so difficult to change for the better.
I think it’s similar to how people viewed smoking not that long ago. “Everyone does it, why wouldn’t I?”, it’s sad to see all these people on dates just staring at their phones, parents not engaging with their children just staring at the screen. Finding people who have taken a step back from technology use and getting out into the world with them has been my goal since Covid (it’s been hard!)
I also find it interesting that the "if you just ban a thing, it makes them want it more" crowd don't take the same approach to alcohol and drugs in their home. Apparently they think banning some things for children works just fine.
> Modern devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops are designed to be intuitive.
I saw a meme the other day that went something like "My parents don't know how to set the time on the microwave. My kids don't know how to set the time on the microwave. We are the only generation in history that will ever know how to set the time on the microwave". It was a joke but also more than a bit of truth.
Very few jobs let people use phones so it was never clear what "learn to use a phone helps you succeed in life" even meant. Most real jobs either use a real computer of some kind or, as you say, use a simple enough app that 10 years of Instagram experience doesn't give you a leg up.
Also, just looking at the real world, nobody out there is going "wow, Millenials and Gen Z are far outcompeting Gen X and Gen Y in the marketplace due to being the first generation of digital natives". If anything, people say the opposite.
If we make local community more exciting and offer the young more opportunities to do something worthwhile in the real world - this is automatically reduce the time they need to be online.