YOUNG DEVICE AND YOUNG PEOPLE

As parents devote their attention to the future development of their children, it is difficult to feel entirely comfortable about the uncertainty regarding the impact of smartphones on the young, especially their own.

The burning questions are whether and when? ‘Whether’ is easy. The cellphone is now an indispensable part of life. The ‘when’ relates to when should your child first be able to obtain independent access to a cellphone (especially a smartphone).  Every parent should accept that their child will, whether they like it or not, obtain the smartphone – that is getting increasingly smarter – at some point, and at the very latest in their adult lives. They will not be able to survive and function effectively without one; but the issue of ‘when’ remains without a standard fit. No one-size fits all.

External pressures outside the family present a significant influence. Most youngsters, especially teenagers, want to be like their friends. Were you not like that? Same clothes and hairstyle in the first instance, moving on to an absorption of selected styles of behaviour. You must have seen the ridiculous low trousers cult. While a parent should not encourage a minor to succumb to social pressure, nevertheless, recognition should be given to the social communication needs of a child; especially one in the early teenage years and nowhere near the (hopefully) sensible values of adulthood. There are, of course, certain matters for consideration. When accepting that it would be good and healthy for a youngster to have a cellphone like his or her peers, the next stage is – what kind of phone? The basic cellphone provides significant benefits during a child’s life. Parents want to be able to stay in touch, enquire where their youngster is, and be able to communicate on a wide range of matters. No communication system other than telepathy – and I’ve not hitherto met anyone who has that skill – can match what a cellphone provides.

Demand

When we get onto smartphones it’s a whole different ballgame. The technological progress and sheer versatility of the smartphone demands a strong familiarisation with the apps and the increasing extent to which the device will be used in business and other areas of human interaction. Without that, you’ll have to sit on the side bearing the dinosaur label. But there are risks, not to be understated, especially for the youth. Dating apps and access to pornography are just two of the areas that are the worry of every parent. Whatever age the child may be, there will be unsolicited contacts made to them, and your child must be ready with a full armoury of defence techniques. One important measure to introduce is informing a child that you, as the parent, may check the smartphone at any time. This creates a built-in deterrent and motivates the child to stay sensible and decent in smartphone use. It’s a licence that can produce other benefits; such that I’ve learned that there is clearly no life on Mars. Why? Because there’s no record of any such number in the list of my daughter’s smartphone calls (lol).

Then we have the issue of acquisition giving rise to addiction? Well, that’s not an attractive word. Because in whatever form, an addiction is an unhealthy mental state and can give rise to many negative reactions. But it’s probably fair to say that most parents are likely to confirm that their child is on the phone for an excessive period each day and is only happy when able to do so. The answer to that lies in strict time-rationing; easier said than done. I didn’t manage it.

A recent study by King’s College, London, found that 23 per cent of teenagers are addicted to smartphone use. Addiction being defined as upset if denied prolonged use and, in turn, being unable independently to moderate their use of the smartphone. ‘Nomophobia’ is a new term capturing a fear of being separated from one’s smartphone; and addiction interferes with various purposeful activities of every day life. A similar study in the United States found that figure to be around 55 per cent. This writer is in no position to interrogate the difference. Let’s just settle for an average of 35 per cent. On the other hand, 59 per cent of American parents believe their children to be smartphone-addicted. They must have good reason to take that view.

Measure

That naturally raises the question – how can we accurately measure addiction and what is its likely impact into adult life? It does appear that a lot more work has to be done by the relevant institutions on the impact of smartphone addiction. Is it the smartphone or the apps that lead to an addiction; most likely the apps. Some argue that excessive smartphone use will give rise to mental health challenges – especially depression. But Dr Amy Orben, research fellow at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at the University of Cambridge, believes it is unfair to assume that excessive smartphone usage causes depression. She argues that ‘smartphone effects are not a one-way street’ since the other side of the coin is that depression itself can influence the amount of smartphone use. There are more questions than answers at this stage.

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