Parents are buying dumb phones for themselves and their children to break the social media rhythm. Smartphones include an app-time display in their setting, and a look at states may be disheartening.
Social media runs on a simple rule ‘FOMO’ (fear of missing out). FOMO has resulted in rising cases of depression, anxiety, and stress. Fear of being left out is affecting children where critical thinking is still under construction and emotions run high. Anxiety and stress in children often end in young suicides and it is increasing.
Social media runs on an algorithm that reads the searches that adults and children do. Social media creates further suggestions based on those searches. Algorithms therefore are highly addictive.
Parents and adults have found a unique way of tackling this serious issue and are using dumb phones instead of smartphones. dumb phones do not hold the program for social media apps.
Also read: 5 Negative Effects That Mobile Phones Can Have On Youth
Dumbphone sales have increased in North America. The store owner of Dumbwirless in LA said so. Store owners Daisy Krigbaum and Will Stults provide low-tech devices for customers.
“We have a lot of parents looking to get their kid that first phone, and they don’t want them drifting off on the internet,” Store owners informed.
It is also pertinent to note that many schools also require children to download a few applications for study purposes. A change in mobile phone thus does not seem appropriate. In it end it is a question of societal ethics and will require a large sum of people to develop consensus.
On the government level, New York recently passed two laws protecting children from the harmful use of smartphones and their data protection.
Social media may be harmful but if societal ethics can be understood and changed necessary steps will only need technical consensus – an understanding of the steps that are chosen to walk on.
