Our fourteen-year-old daughter doesn’t have a cell phone and we limit screen time. If you’re making the OMG face right now go ahead and close that mouth.
Accountability
Children of this generation are struggling with communication and relationships. Teen’s learning to connect with peers through texting they do not learn how to read faces and gauge emotions about what they’ve texted to someone. They are no longer accountable for what they say. And by that, say some terrible things. Harmful things said have led to serious depression, bullying, and even suicide.
Self-worth
Many place their self-worth based on likes on Facebook and Instagram. It’s said to me that if I ask a teen how many friends they have they respond by the count on Facebook. Your Facebook friends are not real friends kiddos. Most importantly they aren’t the people you can call when your boyfriend breaks up with you or if your grandma just passed. Therefore, Facebook friends are only real when you are legitimate friends outside of an online platform. These friends on Facebook aren’t going to think twice about the photo you posted of yourself, and got only two likes. They are too worried about their own likes. Those two likes is a deep wound to the teenager that bases their self-worth by affirmations online.
Addiction.
You know there are serious issues involving youth and technology when the big silicon valley fish will not allow their children screen time. Separating a teen from their phone is like cutting off a limb to them. If you want to see a young adult throw a tantrum, take away their phone. I’ve watched kids eating together in restaurants with all of them on their phones. What is the point of going out if you are not actually spending time together?
So why doesn’t our child have a cell phone?
Our goal is to create a young human that can go out into the world and communicate well with others, a child who isn’t depending on the opinions of strangers to build their self-esteem and that can spend time bonding with friends and actually be present.
What kind of young adult do you want to send out into the world?
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Photo montage Shutterstock and Sara Kurfeß on Unsplash
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