Times Of Swaziland: YOUNG DEVICE AND YOUNG PEOPLE

YOUNG DEVICE AND YOUNG PEOPLE
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Chris Morgan on 15/02/2024 18:21:00


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.