The evidence that smartphones and social media have had a painful to a catastrophic effect on millions of younger Americans — plunging many into depression, and spurring eating disorders, thoughts of suicide and antisocial behavior — is no longer in dispute. Among the first to persuasively make this case was San Diego State psychology professor Jean M. Twenge in an instantly famous 2017 essay in The Atlantic headlined “Has the smartphone destroyed a generation?”
Her thesis: “The advent of the smartphone and its cousin the tablet was followed quickly by hand-wringing about the deleterious effects of ‘screen time.’ But the impact of these devices has not been fully appreciated … . The arrival of the smartphone has radically changed every aspect of teenagers’ lives, from the nature of their social interactions to their mental health. … The trends appear among teens poor and rich; of every ethnic background; in cities, suburbs and small towns. Where there are cell towers, there are teens living their lives on their smartphone.”
The piece got a mixed response — and dismissive critics extended beyond the powerful tech firms profiting from phone addictions. Some saw it as alarmism driven by technological ignorance. Some saw it as akin to overblown concerns about the societal impacts of cars, radio and TV in the early and middle 20th century. But here’s who grimly nodded to themselves and said Twenge is right: readers who were among the parents of millions of kids whose middle school and high school experiences often required navigating a gauntlet of phone-driven bullying, derision and cruelty.
Given this history, it is far past time for sharp limits to be put on smartphone use in schools. That is why all should welcome Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement Tuesday that he would work with the state Legislature to a bill toward that end before it adjourned in August. Newsom, who had to pull one of his four children out of school because of vicious online posts, offered no specifics. And he will certainly face some parental opposition if he tries to entirely ban kids’ access to smartphones while at school. In an era of terrifying, intermittent massacres at U.S. schools, many parents want to be able to hear from their kids instantly. That also holds for parents of children with health issues.
But there are obvious solutions in sight. It is hardly a daunting technological challenge to set up controls on phones that prevent their use for anything but ing relatives or 911 during the school day. No more sharing cruel gossip about classmates — or videos of fights staged or incited solely to create in-demand content. No more playing of video games. No more ready access to pornography.
Schools that have imposed such limits have quickly seen improvements in student behavior and academics. In Naples, Florida, a private K-12 school reported a 94 percent drop in mental health interventions over a two-year period as well as gains in test scores. In a suburb of Albany, N.Y., a public high school saw its culture “completely transformed,” in the words of its principal, after students were no longer able to instantly share every in-school dispute, insult or provocation.
So let’s follow suit. Newsom is far from the only lawmaker who wants major changes. State Sen. Henry Stern, D-Calabasas, and Assemblymember Josh Hoover, R-Folsom, have been outspoken on the topic. Here’s hoping that other elected leaders only starting with those from the San Diego area quickly offer their .
Author Jonathan Haidt has called “the rewiring of childhood … the largest uncontrolled experiment humanity has ever performed on its own children.” It’s time to address — and repair — the consequences of this experiment.
