Are you the parent of a teenager?
Are they wiser @ phone use than you thought?
A 2023 Pew Research* poll revealed that teens are more conscious of the pluses and minuses of their smartphone use than their parents thought.
⬇️ What is your observation as a parent? Do you agree with this research? Please comment below ⬇️.
📲 72% teens reported feeling peaceful without smartphones. Others emphasized positive uses of their phones such as enabling them to keep up with hobbies and interests.
📲 44% teens still felt some separation anxiety (from the phone).
📲 Do teens spend too much time on their phones? The girls said yes, 44% while only 33% boys thought they are on their phones too much.
I don’t know the demographics of this research and the sample size is small. My guess is that the most vulnerable teen populations were not surveyed.
As the co-founder of the Inspired Children & Youth Foundation (Canadian Charity), I am exploring these questions about vulnerable youth, given the alarming state of their mental health. A Western University, Canada, report, found that too much screen use contributes to and/or causes:
Poor Mental Health
📲 51% youth depression, 39% experienced anxiety
📲 7.4% increase in self-harm injuries age 11 – 18 in 2020
Violence Against Children and Youth
📲 Internet sexual luring increased by 815% in the past 5 years. Indigenous youth: 2x+ more risk; kids w/ intellectual disability 3.5 x more risk
📲 Bullying/ Cyber bullying: @7 in 10 youth age 15-17 experience bullying, mostly Indigenous or low income youth, and sexually / gender-diverse youth
📲 Limited Physical Activity and Play: only 2.3% of youth meet the 24-hour movement guidelines.
Sources:
See full article on the Pew Research by Andy Corbley, Mar 14, 2024 on GoodNewsNetwork(dot).org. *Pew Research: 1,453 U.S. teens age 13 to 17, living at home, surveyed online, 9/26/23 to 10/23/23 23rd.
See full article about the Western University report at cbc (dot) ca/news/canada/london/is-too-much-screen-time-harming-children-western-study-finds-link-to-anxiety-depression-1.6932356