Lost Another Child to Phone Addiction

[Andrew Joiner]

My 8 year old grandchild got a phone. Just like the older grandkids I'm losing her. My daughters all say "look at your Grandpa when he talks to you". They do, but the allure of the screen is so powerful I can't finish a sentence without losing them. One daughter has screen free periods during the day. It is usually a battle to get the child to part with the device.

My dad would have the same battle with me and the black and white TV with 2 channels, but I was able to grow up to be OK.

My 8 year old used to look at me, talk with me and play outside with me. It's sad.

[Bruce Page]

I hear ya, I’ve already lost mine. They come over with their mom and all they do is sit on the couch and look into the phone. We went out to dinner at a nice restaurant last night and at any given time a third of the people were staring blankly into their phones.

[John K Jordan]

Our 7-year-old grandson earns (or loses screen) time during the course of the day. If allowed, even the 3-year old little brother would be superglued to an iPad or TV screen most of the day.

To me young kids have no reason to have a phone. Maybe it should be a law.

One of the most well-adjusted kids I know is 15 and does not yet have a phone. What does he do with all that extra time?: he has cleared and fenced in some property, built a shelter, and started a sheep farm with 8 ewe lambs, a ram, and some chickens, earns money for fencing and supplies by feeding and cleaning up at my farm and another before school. Wants to learn welding and woodworking after hanging out at my place. Also a straight-A student. Always cheerful, even at the break of dawn.

When teens with phone addiction come to work they panic and whine at first when I lock the phones in the shop but get over it quickly. I believe kids will rise or fall to the expectations placed on them.

JKJ

[Brian Elfert]

One of my co-workers said that some schools have given up on banning phones. The teachers spent too much time trying to stop cell phone use.

I'm shocked my 15 or 16 year old nephew doesn't have a phone yet. He must be one of the few of his peers not to have a phone at his age. He hasn't asked his parents for a phone and they see no need to give him one.

[bill kaminski]

NO child under the age of 16 needs a cell phone!! As I am not familiar with the specific family, I will not blame anyone, but perhaps your grandchild's parent's have taken the easy way out ( an electronic babysitter). BTW, I am quite familiar with this scenario, with some of my g-kids. Parents must be always involved.

[Alan Rutherford]

...I'm shocked my 15 or 16 year old nephew doesn't have a phone yet. He must be one of the few of his peers not to have a phone at his age. He hasn't asked his parents for a phone and they see no need to give him one.

That's great!! If he were my relative, I'd consider offering $20/month as long as he could do without one, or buy the phone of his choice when he's 18.


NO child under the age of 16 needs a cell phone!!....

Agreed!!!!

Studies more than a couple of years old talk more about TV and computers than phones, but today that's what phones are.

Mental problems rise with kids' screen time (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mental-idUSTRE69A0GD20101011)

Screentime Is Making Kids Moody, Crazy and Lazy (https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mental-wealth/201508/screentime-is-making-kids-moody-crazy-and-lazy)

Kids And Screen Time: What Does The Research Say? (https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2014/08/28/343735856/kids-and-screen-time-what-does-the-research-say)

[Ole Anderson]

Smart phones are the bane of modern civilization around the world. On one hand they allow us to connect with others we normally wouldn't, and they allow us to become much more informed. On the other hand is the issue of non-communication when we ARE together. Even adults old enough to be retired. Who would have thought 15 years ago we could pull up high def weather radar on our phone as easily as ringing a doorbell?

[Matt Day]

No offense but you guys sound like a bunch of grumpy old men.

I think the issue is parents need to set and enforce ground rules. Too many parents don’t. For instance, no screen time at school, meals, restaurants, grandparents house, etc.

Believe it or not kids do need phones for good reasons like setting pickup times from activities, bus drop off changes, etc. It can also be a safety thing like if the kid is uncomfortable at a party and wants to be picked up. Parents can also track the kid if necessary. I’m not saying there is a certain age, but usually around late middle school or junior high seems to be the norm.

[Jim Becker]

NO child under the age of 16 needs a cell phone!!

Need is relative. Our younger got a simple one at age 10 because she was already working at an equestrian barn (paid work) and there was no phone available there. The "need" was for "our" convenience, not hers. Our older didn't get her first phone until about age 12, but again, it was to serve our needs. These first phones were not "smartphones" and only supported voice calling and text. We also used ATT's parental controls then and through most of high school to provide limits on certain things, too. IE, they stopped working at a particular time in the evening through the next morning unless the call or text was to us.

Matt hit a lot of very good points in his post just prior to mine.

[Bert Kemp]

My Grandson has a phone but I have never seen him playing with it.He's 14 gonna be 15 this coming Tuesday.Granted I'm not around him that often but when I am I have never seen him playing on the phone. I have gone to the house and found him playing computer games, but he shuts them down and comes out to see me. He works on the weekends washing dishes in a restaurant. My daughter called me the other day and said guess what I'm doing. I'm at the bank helping your grandson open an account he's save $900 from washing dishes. I'm kinda proud of them both. I asked if he was saving for a motorcycle and she said Probably but I hope not. I told her to tell him only 15 more 900 dollar deposits for a bike LOL .He said thats a lot of dishes granpa. :D