Five Terrible Gifts (That Millions of Kids Will Get For Christmas)
On Christmas morning, millions of kids will be ecstatic. Their big gift will be a smartphone. Recent studies have shown that it is far and away the number one gift desired by everyone from age 8-17. Children and preteens want their first phones and teenagers want an upgrade from their current phones.
And while we can all agree that smartphones are awesome, most parents and (100% of children and teenagers) significantly downplay the negative impact that they are having on our lives. For some reason, parents assume that the overwhelming evidence that smartphones are bad for kids doesn’t apply to their children. They provide these devices to their kids and hope for the best. Bad move.
At Christmastime, we often see technology sold with “bundled” content to encourage you to buy. Video game consoles bundled with specific games. TV’s bundled with streaming services. This year, every single smartphone given to a child or teen will get “bundled” with some troubling things.
Five Terrible Gifts Millions of Kids Will Get Include:
Depression and Anxiety
Rates of self-harm and suicide in teenagers have skyrocketed in the past 10 years. Experts note that is correlates with their access to social media on their smartphones. This was well documented in The Social Dilemma, a must-watch film that is available on Netflix. There are some good things that come from our kids being connected to their peers on their phones, but most of the impact is negative. People often ask me, “At what age should I give my child a phone?” My knee-jerk response is always, “At what age do you want them to begin to struggle with depression and anxiety? That’s the age.” (Take a moment to view the short clip below from The Social Dilemma.)
Addiction to Explicit Content
Here’s a simple fact: smartphones are p@rn delivery systems, serving as the number one means for viewing adult content today. P@rn sites are among the most trafficked websites in the US and children and teens are visiting them with alarming frequency. And just so we are clear, modern p@rn is not pictures of naked people. It is explicit videos showing close-up views of every conceivable act known to mankind. An entire generation is learning about sex by watching p@rn and they are getting a terrible education. They are also becoming addicted at increasing rates…. both girls and boys. This access comes bundled for free with every single smartphone! (See the video below to understand the serious ramifications of all this.)
Brainwashing by Idiots
At most every point in history, educated and credible people were the primary source of our information. Culture simply did not give a platform to morons. Today, with the advent of social media, anyone’s views can build an audience. While that’s certainly empowering at some level, it has also filled your child’s TikTok feed with viewpoints and perspectives that (I promise) you don’t want your child exposed to. The “influencers” who have dominated social media are defining reality for our kids’ generation. Unless your kids are not on social media, then this is an inevitable impact of smartphones on our kids. (Click on the image below to watch our webinar on what your kids are seeing on TikTok. )
Convenient Connection to Predators
Bad people will take advantage of whatever means is available to them to do bad things. Today, the primary means for predators and pedophiles to connect with children and vulnerable teens is through smartphone technology. If a game or app has a “chat” feature of any kind (and most do), then bad guys will use it. Parents who give kids access to apps without oversight and intentional control of the settings are asking for trouble. Very serious trouble. (Watch the following video to see how easy and quick it is for predators to connect with your kids.)
Screen Addiction
According to one recent study, the average person touches their phone more than 2,600 times per day. We are all addicted to the little dopamine rush we get when we have a notification or some new information available on our phones. This is true for all of us, but particularly for our kids. Just try “grounding” your teenager from their phone for a few weeks and see how they respond. For many kids, it’s like removing a limb. Screen dependence is inevitable at some level for every child or teen who is given a phone. That’s why we have to set some parameters early on for how and when a phone will be used, especially during the early years when habits are being formed. (Simon Sinek’s perspective on this is outstanding. See video below.)
Are you giving a child or a teen a phone this Christmas?
If you are, you’re not a bad parent. It’s inevitable that our kids will have phones. Though this is tragic, most teenagers need them to function in today’s society. Where parents drop the ball is when they give their kids phones without any oversight, training, or direction on how they are used.
We would love to offer an easy solution for parents who are concerned about the negative impact of smartphones and who want to prepare their kids to use their phones with wisdom.
Smartphones 101 is an incredibly helpful online video-based course designed to help parents and kids have meaningful conversations about the impact of phones on our lives. It’s interactive, easy-to-use, and costs about the same as one month of your teenager’s cell phone bill. Watch the video or click below for more information.